Chapter 4: The Blood Moon

Kieran never imagined he would remain in that dungeon for two years.

After the little confrontation he had with Gwendolyn that first day, he bided his time, waiting for the right moment to escape.

But the moment never came.

Gwendolyn ordered her little minions to keep him injected with aconite, a poison deadly to both the Wildings and the lycans.

The poison kept him knocked out, and whenever he regained consciousness, he was tortured with silver chains and starved for days.

He, a powerful Alpha, a ruthless and savage hybrid of royal blood, he couldn't believe he was the one being treated like a slave.

And all because of a woman! A woman who made his blood boil with fury and lust.

He counted each day, his rage growing, waiting for the moment he would be free. The lycans wouldn't hold him forever. And they certainly wouldn't kill him because Gwendolyn wouldn't let them.

In the last two years, she spent most of her time in the dungeon with him, along with the brown haired fool called Julian, who followed her about like a lost puppy.

She believed he abducted her mother, and while he had no idea what she was talking about, he pretended to agree, to buy enough time.

He toyed with her feelings, played with her emotions because he knew she wouldn't kill him, not if she wanted to find her mother alive.

He refrained from letting out too much. Instead he dropped hints, knowing she would scramble after them, knowing she would do anything to find her beloved mother.

It continued that way for two years, until the perfect opportunity to escape arose.

Every twelve years, the Wildings waited eagerly for the bloody full moon. It was a moment at midnight where the moon turned completely red in the sky.

During the bloody full moon, the Wildings reached the peak of their powers. They became powerful and unstoppable for one night.

But in contrast, the lycans dropped to their lowest, unable to shift for the entire night.

This was what Kieran had been waiting for. And fortunately, the blood moon would appear that night. He would get his freedom.

Then he would burn down the entire earth realm pack, starting from Princess Gwendolyn Bowen.

...

Gwendolyn lit the single candle stick on her cake, then leaned back on the bed and shut her eyes.

It was her thirtieth birthday, and it was supposed to be a big celebration.

Instead it brought sadness to her heart, a stark reminder of the day she lost everything.

If she imagined it perfectly, she would feel her parents sitting beside her, like they did the night she turned eighteen.

But this time, she felt nothing. Just coldness and emptiness.

She opened her eyes and brushed her tears away. She needed to be strong if she wanted to rule the Earth Realm Pack.

She glared at the candle and her eyes hardened.

"I hope you're with the moon goddess, father." She whispered. "I promise you, I'll find mom and bring her home. I'll make the Wildings pay for what they did."

She blew out the candle and pushed the cake aside. It didn't even feel like her birthday. She only lit the candle in honour of her parents who always did it for her.

It was almost midnight and she was getting ready for bed when she heard a soft knock.

"Come in." She murmured.

The door opened and Julian stepped in, holding a small gift box.

"There's a blood moon tonight." He said as he walked towards her.

"I noticed." She nodded, turning to peek out the window. The sky was already tinted a deep red colour, but the moon remained hidden behind the clouds.

She turned back to Julian. "Did you make sure Kieran is properly chained up? We can't let him know how vulnerable we are during the blood moon."

"I doubt he knows that." Julian brushed her concern aside. "Everything will be fine, and the night will pass away soon. The hybrid is chained up properly."

He paused for a moment, then handed the gift box to her with a smile.

"Happy birthday."

There was a ruby necklace nestled inside, sparkling prettily.

"It's beautiful, Julian." Gwendolyn smiled. "Thank you."

She placed the necklace around her neck and embraced him. "Honestly, I don't know what I would do without you. You've been so good to me. The few times when I felt burdened, you were there for me. How do I thank you?"

Julian gently stroked her hair, relishing the feeling of her body pressed against his. Then he cupped her face and gazed at her.

"There's a way you can thank me." He said.

"Really? How?"

He didn't answer. Instead he leaned forward to kiss her. He expected to feel the warm texture of her lips, but all he got was a slap.

Gwendolyn slapped him and pushed him away from her.

"Julian what are you doing?" She frowned. "We talked about this. You're like a brother to me."

"I want to be more, Gwen." He rose to his feet. "I've waited for you for years, loving you silently. I'm ready to stand by your side and do whatever you want. Just give us a chance."

"Julian..."

"Please, Gwen." He pleaded, cutting her short. "Give us a chance. Let the council wed us as chosen mates. I've waited too long."

"I told you there can never be anything between us." Gwendolyn protested. "I told you from the onset. I don't want a chosen mate. I want my fated mate..."

"How long will you keep waiting for him?!" Julian yelled suddenly. "Until you grow old and wrinkled? When are you going to give the pack an heir?"

His words struck her where it hurt the most, and it was even more painful coming from him. She curled her fists and faced him head-on.

"I will wait for him till eternity if I have to." She said in a clear voice. "And if the moon goddess doesn't send him to me, I'll remain mate-less until my dying breath. Get that in your head, Julian. And get out of my room."

"Gwen..."

"GET OUT!" She screamed.

But before either of them could move, a loud scream pierced the silent night.

"What was that?" Julian whispered.

There was silence for a few seconds, then more screams sounded, shrill and terrified.

The air became charged with something dark and unseen, and Gwendolyn knew immediately what it meant. This was exactly how it felt the night the Wildings first attacked.

"We're under attack." She gasped and rushed out of the room. She didn't stop, not even when Julian kept yelling her name as he ran after her.

Dressed in her night gown and a robe, she burst through the front doors of the castle and met a devastating sight.

The sky was filled with hundreds of Wildings, their roars making the earth tremble. Their wings flapped heavily as they moved about, breathing fire from their mouths.

Standing boldly across the sky was the blood moon, gleaming like a red beacon between the clouds.

She watched the lycans run for cover as the demons slaughtered them one after the other. As they were unable to shift, they were totally defenseless.

It seemed to go on for hours. The killing, the screams of pain and terror as the lycans were struck down, the roar of flames as it licked up everything in its path.

Suddenly one of the creatures landed before her. A torrent of wind followed as he tucked in his wings. She didn't need to look up to know it was Kieran.

"How the tables have turned, Princess." His mocking voice reached her, and she felt anger course through her veins. She had never felt so helpless.

But she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her cower.

She slowly rose to her feet and looked him in the eye. His eyes glowed an eerie red, like the blood moon in the sky.

"You've murdered the entire lycans." She muttered, angry tears spilling down her eyes. "What more do you want? Kill me if you must because I would rather die than beg you."

Kieran's arrogant smile turned furious as he stopped in front of her.

"You brought this on yourself." He snarled. "And I will kill you. But it will be slow and painful. You will feel the life draining out of you, and you will know how I felt the last two years."

He lifted his hand and grabbed her throat.

And he froze, the same moment she did. Both their eyes widened at the same time.

It couldn't be.

The sparks of the mate bond roared to life the moment they touched.

They were mates.