BLOOD MOON

Chapter 10

Haliya

The sun was dipping low when Kieran finally said, “Get ready.”

I didn’t ask twice. The moment he left, I dug into the closet he said was mine and choose to wear a flowing white maxi dress with delicate straps and a slight shimmer when the light hit it just right. It was soft and light.

I let my long, wavy hair fall free down my back, the way I used to when I roamed my pack grounds, bare feet in the grass, my mother laughing beside me.

My throat tightened.

Not now.

I shook the memory away and looked at myself in the mirror. I didn’t recognize the girl staring back but maybe that was a good thing. Maybe the old me wouldn’t have survived all this.

When Kieran returned, he paused at the door, his eyes running over me with something unreadable. Not lust. Not affection. Just… silence.

“You look—”

“If you say ‘beautiful’ I’m locking myself in the bathroom,” I cut in quickly.

He smirked. “I was going to say… presentable. Let’s go.”

I rolled my eyes, but followed.

The guards weren't outside his door when we get out. Just Kieran and me. He didn’t try to touch me, just walked a step ahead like he trusted I’d follow. Or maybe he knew I had no choice.

The long hallways felt different in the fading light. More alive somehow, though still void of other people.

Kieran pushed open a heavy wooden door, and for the first time, I stepped outside.

My breath hitched.

It was… vast.

Mountains loomed in the distance, draped in mist. Tall trees, not quite like the ones in my pack’s territory, lined the horizon. The sky stretched endlessly, painted in golds and rose. And the air, it wasn’t stale like the inside of the fortress. It was sharp, clean, colder than I expected.

But nothing felt familiar.

Not a single piece of it.

Kieran stood beside me, watching.

“You said we’re still in the East,” I said quietly, not tearing my eyes away from the strange landscape.

“We are.”

“No, we’re not.” My voice was firm. “I’ve traveled across the region with my father. This isn’t any place I’ve ever seen.”

He didn’t answer.

“Kieran.” I turned to face him. “Are you lying to me again?”

His jaw tensed, but his voice was calm. “We’re in the East, Haliya. Just not the part you know.”

That didn’t sit right with me.

How big was the East really? And how did I not know about this place?

“Is this your pack?” I asked, trying to read him.

His eyes flicked to mine, cold and guarded. “Does it matter?”

“It does.”

He didn’t answer again. Instead, he stepped forward and gestured to the path ahead, carved between tall blackened pines.

“You wanted to see what's outside, right? Come on.”

I followed but the unease in my stomach grew with every step. The beauty of the landscape couldn’t hide the truth I felt in my bones.

We walked a little farther, and soon, the silence I’d grown used to was replaced by something else—life.

I saw people.

Not just one or two, but groups, some walking in pairs, others gathered in circles laughing quietly. They looked… normal. Not prisoners. Not like those chained women in the cells. They wore clean clothes, spoke freely, and didn’t seem the least bit afraid.

I instinctively looked behind us. That massive stone building I had been trapped in loomed in the distance, tall and intimidating, almost like a fortress. And beside it, another structure stood, more refined, with arched windows and a carved emblem above the entrance.

So this place wasn’t deserted after all.

It was a community.

But it wasn’t mine.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“I’m going to check onto something,” Kieran replied, not slowing his pace.

That wasn’t an answer.

“Check on what?” I pressed.

He didn’t look at me. “Just something I need to handle.”

I stopped walking.

Kieran took another step, then paused, sensing I wasn’t beside him anymore.

"Why?" he asked.

A thousand questions rushed to my tongue but I swallowed them down. I remembered what I told myself: Don’t push too hard. Not yet.

So I shook my head lightly. “Nothing,” I murmured, then tried a softer approach. “Am I allowed to come with you?”

Kieran turned fully this time, studying me like he was trying to see through whatever act he thought I was putting on.

“Would I have brought you if you weren’t allowed?” he replied.

I bit my lip, the corner of my mouth tugging into a shy smile. Maybe he's right. I didn't exactly have options. But why now? Why bring me out after keeping me caged like some dangerous animal? Could it be because he was tired of my whining? Fed up with my questions? Or maybe… just maybe… he was beginning to trust me.

“Let’s go,” he said simply, turning back around. “Stay by my side.”

I took a deep breath and followed, matching his pace.

As we moved past the garden and toward the other side of the compound, I noticed something strange. The people around us bowed slightly, not in fear, but in respect. Their eyes flicked to Kieran, then to me, curiosity shadowing their expressions.

Why are they looking at me like that?

My fingers brushed against the folds of my white dress, suddenly aware of how out of place I looked. A stranger among people who seemed to belong. But none of them asked who I was.

I caught up to Kieran. “Do they know me?”

He didn’t glance back, but his hand dropped slightly, brushing against mine as we walked, just enough to guide me without holding me.

“They know what I tell them.”

So, what role does he play in this pack?

We stopped in front of a house that looked straight out of a fairy tale. Ivy crept up the stone walls, wildflowers bloomed in mismatched patches around the base, and the door itself was oddly small, arched and carved with runes I couldn’t read.

It looked… enchanted.

“Is this where you need to be?” I asked quietly.

Kieran didn’t answer. He simply reached for the wooden handle and pushed the door open.

The inside was nothing like I expected.

The space widened immediately after we stepped in. It was like the walls shifted, opening into a circular room filled with scrolls, books piled too high, and little glass jars that shimmered even in the dim light.

A tunnel led down into a lower chamber. And just at the edge of the tunnel’s curve, a man emerged.

His hair was long and silver, brushing past his shoulders. His beard flowed to his chest. Wrinkled skin creased around his bright, knowing eyes. He looked old, like time had passed through him.

“Oh, Kieran,” the old man said, his voice rasped but rich, the way only someone who’s lived too long could sound. “What brought you here?”

Then his gaze shifted and landed on me.

I froze.

He studied me for a moment. I took a step back, instinctively hiding behind Kieran’s arm.

He noticed.

“You found your mate already?” he asked with a small grin.

My heart skipped.

Kieran didn’t deny it. He didn’t even flinch.

“But you haven’t claimed her yet?” the man added, motioning for us to follow him deeper into the house.

The moment we stepped through the arched doorway, I realized the place was a maze, far bigger than it looked outside. The kind of place you don’t just visit for pleasure or leisure.

“It’s not time yet,” Kieran replied casually, stealing a short glance in my direction.

I caught it and met it with an arched brow and all the confusion I felt bubbling in my chest.

Not time yet? Does he seriously think I’d let him “claim” me like I’m some necklace in a pawnshop window?

“You wish,” I shot at him through the mind link, keeping my face blank.

To my utter horror, the i***t smiled like my defiance amused him. He’s a freak. I swear Kieran is a total freak.

“I’ve prepared the thing you asked for last time,” the old man said, stopping by a glass-front cabinet. He pulled out a wooden box, secured with a metal clasp that looked older than all of us combined. The wood was dark, carved with symbols I didn’t recognize.

Kieran took it carefully, like it was something precious.

In return, he handed the man a folded parchment, no words, no thanks, just an exchange.

My eyes flicked between them. What the hell are those things? What are they not saying in front of me?

And then the man’s gaze dropped to my hand.

“If it doesn’t fit her,” he said, gesturing at my fingers, “you can bring it back. I’ll adjust it.”

I blinked. “Huh?”

Kieran didn’t answer me.

“We’re going now.”

Just like that, we left the place... me still utterly confused and him, as usual, unreadable.

I glanced once more at the wooden box in his hand. What could be inside? A ring? Something magical? Something dangerous?

Was it meant for me?

But… what if it was for Kali?

The thought twisted in my chest, stupid as it was. Why would it be for me? Maybe Kali was the one he actually cared about, and I was just… a responsibility.

I was still overthinking when we passed the garden and there she was. The devil herself.

Dressed in a striking red dress, Kali looked like she had walked straight out of one of those old storybooks where the villain always showed up looking perfect just to ruin the heroine's life. Her lips curled in a mocking smile, every step confident, as if the entire world belonged to her.

And worse... she wasn’t alone. Amara was with her. Great. Just great.

“What the hell are you doing, Kie?” Amara snapped, though her eyes didn’t leave me.

There it was, that icy glare again. If looks could kill, I’d be lying flat on the gravel by now.

Kieran didn’t flinch. “Walking.”

“With her?” Kali spat, arms crossing. “You’re parading her now?”

I wanted to roll my eyes but held myself back. The last thing I needed was to fuel their fire.

“She needed fresh air,” Kieran said plainly.

Kali scoffed, stepping closer. “You’re making a mistake.”

Amara didn’t say anything this time, just narrowed her eyes, scanning me like I was some dirty stray her brother picked up off the road.

“She doesn’t belong here,” Kali added.

Neither do you, I wanted to say but I bit my tongue.

“I decide who belongs,” Kieran said coldly.

His tone made both women pause. Even I felt the shift in the air. Amara used to have that Alpha female energy. I even thought she's above Kieran, but I guess, I was wrong.

Kali's jaw clenched. “Is that what this is now? You playing the role of the noble protector?”

Kieran stepped forward, calm but firm. “That’s enough.”

Amara looked between us all, her expression unreadable now, then tugged lightly at Kali’s arm. “Come on.”

To my surprise, Kali didn’t argue. She let Amara pull her away, but not before throwing one last glare at me.