Blood and Moon

Chapter 4: Silence of the Heart

After the heavy night of confessions with Marcus and sleepless thoughts of Jackson, Lilith prepared he’s self for school determined to close her heart to this doom bond.

She navigated the halls of the school like a ghost, her dark hair cascading like midnight waves over her shoulders, shielding her ruby eyes from prying stares. Try as she might, the thought of Jackson kept hunting her—untouchable, enigmatic, a sun god in a world of shadows. With his blonde hair gleaming like spun gold and ice-blue eyes that could pierce the soul, he was Apollo incarnate, radiating warmth to everyone but her. They were like day and night, she reminded herself fiercely, opposites that could never align.

“This bond was absurd’ she thought. The very idea of harboring romantic thoughts about him was absurd, like the moon eclipsing the sun—a fleeting rarity that would never grace her cursed existence.

Lirien was silent, but could feel her mocking gaze reprimanding for her desperate denial.

Yet, denial was a fragile armor, cracking under the weight of stolen glances. It started innocently enough in history class, where Jackson sat two rows ahead, his posture impeccable as he jotted notes with effortless precision. Lilith’s gaze wandered, drawn to the way his broad shoulders filled his shirt, a testament to his alpha blood and athletic prowess. He was a top student, straight A’s in every subject, his mind as sharp as his combat skills. She’d seen him on the field during pack training sessions she observed from afar—fluid, powerful, leading with a grace that inspired loyalty. Unlike the other boys, who chased skirts and flexed for attention, Jackson embodied perfect behavior: disciplined, a role model for the pack. Even his coldness toward her couldn’t erase that. He never joined the bullying, never confronted her with venomous words. He simply ignored her, and somehow, that indifference cut deeper than any taunt.

As the teacher droned on about ancient rivalries—ironic, given their hidden world—Lilith’s eyes flicked to him again. He turned slightly, discussing something with a classmate, and for a split second, their gazes brushed. Her breath hitched, a flutter stirring in her chest, but she yanked her eyes away, focusing on her notebook. -No- she thought, scribbling nonsense. -He’s not for you. Remember who you are.- The pack adored him, girls like Sabrina fluttering around him like moths to a flame.

Shaking off the image, Lilith slipped into the cafeteria, grabbing a tray and finding her usual spot with Mia. Lucas was absent, likely in a meeting with Jackson about pack affairs or worse yesterday’s outburst. Surprisingly enough, the alpha didn’t punish him only reprimanded him for using too much force, the fact that the beta son, despite him being a royal beta, was able to beat the son of an Alpha with alpha blood to a pulp was quite humiliating. Especially since the where part of the royal kingdom and one of the allies of the pack.

As she sat, her eyes betrayed her once more, drifting to the alpha table where Jackson held court. He laughed at something Tyler said, his smile lighting up the room like dawn breaking. Envy clawed at her but she forced herself to look away, picking at her food. Deny it. It’s nothing. But her mind wandered to their first true encounter, a memory etched in pain and wonder.

It had been the day of his sixteenth birthday, a grand pack celebration under the full moon. Lilith, then fourteen and still naive about her place, had attended at Marcus’s insistence. The air thrummed with energy, wolves shifting and howling in joy. She’d lingered on the edges, her pale skin glowing ethereally in the moonlight, when she felt a pull—like gravity shifting. Across the clearing, Jackson stood, newly come of age, his alpha aura blooming. Their eyes locked, holding for what felt like an eternity but was mere minutes. In that gaze, something ignited: butterflies erupted in her stomach, a wild frenzy she’d never known. Her half-dead heart, sluggish since birth from her vampire heritage, thrummed steadily, alive with rhythm for the first time. It was as if the world narrowed to just them, day meeting night in harmonious eclipse.

Then, a low growl rumbled from his throat, deep and resonant, strong enough to shatter thunder. It snapped the connection like brittle glass. His face twisted in displeasure, those ice-blue eyes turning stormy. He turned away, dismissing her without a word. The butterflies died, her heart stuttering back to its erratic whisper. From that day, their paths crossed in silence. If their eyes met by chance—in class, in the halls—they were cold, like a lonely iceberg adrift in the ocean, sinking her spirit to a bottomless pit. Her heart had stopped its steady beat, retreating to the shadows where it belonged.

Back to the cafeteria, watching Jackson address the group, his voice carried authority, inspiring nods and cheers. Their eyes met across the crowd—brief, accidental. Warmth bloomed in her chest, but she instantly turned away, whispering to herself, It’s nothing. Moon and sun don’t mix. But deep down, the denial cracked further, butterflies stirring faintly, her heart yearning for that lost rhythm.

That afternoon, approaching the closing hours of school, Lilith hid alone in the library, staring at the distant pack house where Jackson was called for an urgent meeting during class, the raising sun marking midday felt like a mocking premonition of the decision she has to make. Jackson’s image lingered—blonde Apollo, ice-blue enigma. She pushed it aside, along with Lirien’s warnings not to be too hasty in her decision without confronting him first. A lonely tear falling out of her eye as the door burst open, and as if summoned by her aggrieved heart, Jackson was standing in front of her.