Blood and Moon

Chapter 3: Fractured Bonds

The days following Lilith’s birthday blurred into a haze of torment. The bullying at Eldwood High escalated, as if her awakening had painted a target on her back. Whispers turned to jeers, shoves became deliberate trips in the hallways. The pack’s elite—Jackson’s circle of warriors—led the charge, their eyes gleaming with unchecked malice. Sabrina, the self-proclaimed princess of the pack, was the worst. With her golden hair and curves that she wielded like weapons, she flaunted her ambition to become Luna, seducing her way through the powerful males. Lilith had always assumed Jackson was too smart to fall for her facade, the arrogance hidden beneath layers of fake smiles and calculated touches. But reality shattered that illusion one afternoon.

Lilith was crossing the courtyard when she spotted them: Sabrina pouncing on Jackson and stealing a kiss under the old oak tree. a sight that twisted a knife in Lilith’s chest. The mate bond screamed in protest, a burning ache that made her stagger. Weren’t mates supposed to be loyal? In love? She fled before they noticed, tears stinging her red eyes, but the image of those few seconds replayed constantly in her mind despite her protests. Sabrina her smile predatory as she leaned in and pressed her lips to his. Thinking about it more, she realised some details that she ignored earlier, the kiss was one-sided, a bold move that caught him off guard. His lips remained closed, his expression distant, almost carved from stone. He didn’t kiss back, didn’t acknowledge her advance, his hands staying stiff at his sides.

Lilith, felt her stomach twist. Why did it matter? Although Jackson’s lack of response was clear— the betrayal in her heart still lingers.

She knew that l as the prince of the Crescent Pack, he has to be diplomatic, tolerating Sabrina’s antics might have been a way to maintain the alliance with her father’s pack.

The harassment peaked that same day during football training. Lucas had forgotten his cleats in her desk earlier, so Lilith ventured to the pitch to return them, hoping to slip in unnoticed. But the equipment wasn’t there yet, and as she turned to leave, the group spotted her. Brad, Sabrina’s brother and one of her regular tormentors, led the pack. His sneer was vicious, his build hulking from years of warrior training.

“Look who’s here—the abomination,” Brad taunted, his friends circling like wolves on a hunt. They pushed her, calling her names that echoed the pack’s deepest hatred: “Bloodsucker,” “Freak,” “Vampire spawn.” Lilith tried to back away, but Brad shoved her hard, sending her sprawling to the ground. Gravel bit into her hands and knees, drawing blood that healed almost instantly thanks to her hybrid nature.

Unfortunate timing—or perhaps fate—brought Lucas and Jackson to the pitch just then. Lucas’s face contorted in rage. “Get away from her!” he roared, launching himself at Brad. Fists flew; Lucas’s werewolf strength turned the fight one-sided. He broke Brad’s jaw with a sickening crack, followed by his nose in a spray of blood. Who knew how many ribs or other bones followed? The other bullies scattered, but not before Lucas landed a few more blows.

Jackson’s expression was thunderous, his blue eyes flashing with anger. But it wasn’t directed at Lucas—it was at the chaos, at Lilith for being the spark. “What the hell is this?” he barked, pulling Lucas off. The delta, their football coach, rushed in to separate them. Lucas was panting, blood on his knuckles, while Brad groaned on the ground.

“You’re all going to the alpha’s office,” Jackson ordered, his voice clipped. He spared Lilith a cold glance, ignoring the pull of their bond that she felt like a chain around her heart. He turned to the delta, discussing damage control, then stormed off to join the others.

Lilith pushed herself up, brushing off the dirt. Her injuries had healed by Lucas’s second punch, leaving only faint red marks. The gamma, a stern but kind older wolf named Elias, appeared out of nowhere. “Come on, girl,” he said gently, escorting her to the nurse’s office despite her protests. “I’m fine,” she insisted, but he wouldn’t hear it. Why the personal attention? It only heightened her unease.

All she could think about was Lucas. How would this affect his standing? As future beta, he needed the pack’s respect, especially Jackson’s. Fighting over her could fracture alliances, isolate him further.

After school, Lilith waited by the gates, but Lucas was still detained in the alpha’s office. Mia joined her, chattering excitedly. “I heard Lucas beat Brad to a pulp! Wish I’d been there—I’d have joined in. That jerk deserves it.” Mia’s unbothered pride only made Lilith envy her innocence. They walked home in silence on Lilith’s part, the weight of the day crushing her.

At the beta’s estate, the dam broke. Alone in her room, tears streamed down her face, staining her pale cheeks. Worry for Lucas mingled with the agony of Jackson’s kiss with Sabrina. The mate bond burned, a half-dead heart aching with betrayal. Why did the Moon Goddess do this? Lilith thought, collapsing onto her bed. Give me a wolf, knowing I’m an abomination? Mate me to Jackson, of all people? The pack will never accept me.

Her mind spiraled to the past. Wasn’t her mother, Olivia, fated to Jackson’s father, the alpha? Abducted for five years by the vampire king, she was found pregnant with at the end of the war. But Jackson was born two years prior—that meant the alpha had taken another mate while still bonded to Olivia. How? Even if the human side rejected a mate, wolves remained faithful. Rejections were rare, almost mythical. Yet here she was, beating the odds as the hopeless case.

Lirien had been awfully quiet through it all, her presence a distant hum. “You should know,” Lilith said aloud, her voice breaking. “Wasn’t Jackson’s father’s wolf your mate? How can he still be alive, and you be mated to his son?”

A pause, then Lirien’s voice echoed softly in her mind. I can’t tell, child. When a wolf is sent back to the human world, previous memories are erased. All I was allowed to remember was your birth, Lilith—and even that was against the rules, a special gift from the Moon Goddess to us. But you are right: wolves mate for eternity, especially powerful ones like myself. I can only bond with one equally matched in status and power. In this pack, I feel his presence only in Jackson and no one else.

Lilith sighed, resignation settling like lead. The past was a taunting puzzle, pieces forced together despite mismatched edges. The alpha’s story never added up—the abduction, the war, her birth. There were only two who could provide answers: the alpha himself, or her uncle Marcus.

Asking the alpha was impossible; he barely acknowledged her existence, his gaze always laced with unspoken regret. But Marcus… he’d raised her, protected her. If anyone held the truth, it was him.

Wiping her tears, Lilith descended the stairs. The house was quiet; Marcus sat in his study, poring over pack documents. He looked up as she entered, his eyes softening. “Lilith? What’s wrong?”

She hesitated, then sat across from him. “Uncle… I need to know about Mom. About the alpha. Was she really his fated mate?”

Marcus’s face paled, his hands stilling. “Why ask this now?”

“Because of Jackson,” she whispered, the name tasting like ash. “He’s my mate, but he rejects me. And if Mom was the alpha’s mate, how did he move on? Have Jackson with someone else?”

A long silence stretched. Marcus rubbed his temples, as if the weight of secrets pressed down. “Olivia was indeed the alpha’s mate. Promised since childhood. But the kidnapping… it broke something. The bond weakened during her absence. The pack needed an heir, so he took a chosen mate—Jackson’s mother.”

“But wolves don’t just forget,” Lilith pressed. “Lirien says—”

“Lirien?” Marcus’s eyes widened. “Your wolf? You awakened early?”

She paused, realising her slip.

“It’s okay child, tell him the truth, I can sense that he will protect our secret”, her wolf reassured her.

“She’s… special. The priestess. She feels the mate pull only in Jackson.”

Marcus leaned back, shock etching his features. “The Moon Goddess works in mysteries. Olivia’s wolf was Lirien too. When she died, we thought the spirit gone forever. For you to have her… it means something bigger.”

“Tell me the truth,” Lilith begged. “About the abduction. The war. Why does everything feel wrong?”

He sighed deeply, hesitated for a minute before finally saying: “The vampire king didn’t just kidnap her for ransom. He claimed her as his mate. When she was found in her birth bed, she looked at peace, all she care about was you. The bond can’t be forced ” he continues in a whisper, now drifting into a more distant memory.

Lilith’s world tilted. Forced bond?” What does that mean?

But her next question was interrupted by a knock at the door—Lucas, bruised but unbowed, entered. “I’m fine,” he said, hugging Lilith. “The alpha lectured us, but Brad’s the one in trouble.”

Relief flooded her, but the revelations lingered. As night fell, Lilith lay awake, Lirien’s presence a comforting whisper. The puzzle was cracking open, but he’s uncle was still hiding something, Lirien told her so.

Jackson’s rejection, Sabrina and the bullying, the mate bond—how was she to escape this painful misery.