ENEMIES
1141 Words
CHAPTER TEN - ENEMIES
The bell rang sharp through the hallways of Alder High, echoing over the chatter of students switching classes. Maya moved slower than usual, her limbs still aching from the night before. The necklace Leo had given her rested cool against her skin beneath her shirt, a constant reminder that danger wasn’t far behind.
She rounded the corner near the science wing, half-focused on her phone, when a strange tension in the air made her pause.
That’s when she saw him.
Kieran.
He stood near the back stairwell, partially hidden in shadow, his stance rigid, voice low but urgent. Maya stopped, instinctively stepping back behind a row of lockers. From her angle, she couldn’t see who he was talking to. But the conversation wasn’t casual.
“I told you, we need to act fast,” Kieran hissed. “The full moon is almost here.”
Maya’s heart leapt into her throat.
The person replied too soft for her to hear clearly. But Kieran’s tone grew sharper.
“No. She’s not ready. If we move too soon, she could reject the change and then it’s over. For all of us.”
The words hit her like a punch to the gut. She. Were they talking about… her?
Maya leaned closer, but her backpack brushed against the metal locker behind her with a soft clang. In an instant, the conversation halted.
Kieran’s head turned slightly, eyes scanning the hallway. Maya held her breath. Then he smiled. The kind of smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
“See you later,” he said quietly to the unseen figure and then, just like that, he was walking out into the hallway, casual, effortless. The hallway buzzed with students again, oblivious.
Maya quickly turned away and slipped into the nearest classroom, heart pounding. Whatever and whoever Kieran was hiding , it wasn’t just her family. It was her. And the full moon was almost here.
Lunch came, but Maya barely touched her food. Her eyes stayed locked on the courtyard where Kieran sat under the lone birch tree, looking almost too casual—legs stretched out, fingers lazily flipping through a sketchbook. But she could feel it: he was waiting for her.
She finally stood, walked out into the sunlight, and stopped in front of him.
“We need to talk.”
Kieran looked up slowly, his eyes unreadable. “Maya Hale. Always so serious.”
She didn’t sit. “Who were you talking to near the stairwell earlier?”
His fingers stilled on the page. “Stairwell?”
“Don’t play dumb. I heard you. You said something about the full moon and acting fast.”
A beat of silence passed before a smile crept onto his lips sharp, amused.
“You really shouldn’t eavesdrop. It’s dangerous,” he said, tilting his head. Then his eyes dipped slightly, narrowing at her chest. “Nice necklace. That's new?”
Maya stiffened. Her hand instinctively moved over the charm.
Kieran’s gaze lingered. “Did he give it to you?”
She didn’t answer.
He leaned forward, voice softer but more pointed. “Are you and Leo a thing now?”
“Why does that matter?”
Kieran’s eyes darkened, though his smile stayed in place. “Because I know what that necklace does. It hums like a heartbeat to anyone who can hear through the Veil. Especially wolves. It’s not just a gift. It’s a claim.”
Maya’s pulse quickened. “He gave it to me for protection.”
“Oh, I’m sure he did,” Kieran said smoothly, standing to his full height. “But protection comes with attachments. And attachments make people reckless.”
She held his stare. “Are you warning me?”
He leaned in, his voice dropping low enough that only she could hear. “No, Maya. I’m reminding you. You don’t know everything yet. Not about him. Not about yourself. And definitely not about me.”
He paused, then smiled again. “But you will. The full moon’s almost here.”
With that, he stepped around her and disappeared back into the crowd. Maya exhaled slowly, fingers still tight around the necklace. Leo wasn’t the only one watching her closely now.
Kieran slipped through the side doors of the school, the cool air brushing his skin like a warning. The sun was beginning to tilt west, casting long shadows over the track field and forest line beyond. But his attention wasn’t on the sky. It was on the ache in his ribs—the way the magic in the air was starting to pull tighter.
Maya’s changing.
He could feel it. Every day, it grew stronger. The subtle scent of her shift, the flickers of instinct in her eyes, the way her body responded to power now—faster, sharper. She was awakening, and soon, everyone would notice.
He walked briskly toward the edge of the school grounds, where the trees thinned and silence took hold. A figure was waiting there, cloaked in shadows even though the sun still shone.
“You shouldn’t have said that line,” the figure murmured. “About the full moon. She’s not stupid.”
Kieran didn’t flinch. “She was already watching me. She would’ve suspected either way.”
“Then what are you playing at?”
He glanced back toward the building, where Maya was likely still clenching that necklace like it was a lifeline. Leo’s necklace. The wolf charm. The signal.
“I’m measuring her loyalties,” Kieran said coolly. “She’s drawn to him—but she doesn’t trust him yet. She’s still choosing.”
“You think she’ll choose you?”
Kieran smirked faintly. “I don’t need her to choose me. I just need her to start questioning him. Doubt is a powerful thing. Especially for someone on the verge of awakening.”
The figure shifted. “You’re risking exposure.”
“I’m managing it,” Kieran replied. “Let Leo protect her. Let him be the big, broken hero. But eventually, she’ll wonder why he’s hiding things. Why does he flinches at her questions? Why doesn't he howl when he runs.”
Silence settled. Then—
“You still care about her.”
Kieran’s jaw clenched.
“Of course I do,” he said. “She’s the key. She’s the last of her line. But more than that…”
His throat tightened.
“She remembers things she shouldn’t. Dreams of places she’s never seen. She’s not like the others. Not even like Leo. She was born for more than this cage her family put her in.”
He looked out toward the trees.
“I want her to become what she’s meant to be.”
“And if she doesn’t?”
Kieran’s eyes darkened. “Then Leo’s not the only one that needs her”.
- Writer
