Chapter 15: The Truth
362 Words
“Get away from her,” Kade snarled, stepping between Maya and the stranger.
Caelen didn’t flinch. If anything, he looked amused. His golden eyes flicked to Maya, assessing, calculating.
“I’m not here to hurt her, Alpha,” he said calmly. “I’m here because she deserves to know the truth.”
Maya’s heart pounded. The bond between her and Kade pulsed with warning, but her curiosity was stronger. She stepped around Kade, keeping her eyes locked on Caelen.
“What truth?” she asked.
Caelen smiled faintly. “You’re not just a rogue-born wolf, Maya. Your mother was Lyra Blackwood. Alpha of the Moonshadow Pack.”
The name hit her like a punch.
“Lies,” Kade said immediately. “Her parents were human. I checked.”
Caelen tilted his head. “They were human to the world. But to us? They were protecting her. Hiding her.” He took a step forward, and Kade growled low in his throat. “The Moonshadow Pack was massacred twelve years ago. The Blood Fang did it. Lyra sent you away before they could reach you.”
Maya felt dizzy. Her knees buckled, and Kade caught her before she hit the ground.
“No,” she whispered. “That can’t be right.”
Caelen’s expression softened. “The mark on your neck isn’t just a mate mark, Luna. It’s a bloodline mark. That’s why your first shift was so violent. Why you’re stronger than most born wolves.”
Maya looked up at Kade. His jaw was clenched, eyes furious.
“Tell me he’s lying,” she said.
Kade hesitated for half a second too long.
And in that hesitation, Maya knew.
He’d known something. Maybe not everything, but something.
“You kept this from me,” she said quietly.
Kade’s grip tightened on her. “I was trying to protect you.”
Caelen spread his hands. “The Blood Fang is gone, but others know what you are now. If you want answers, come to the old Moonshadow ruins at dawn. Alone.”
Maya stared at him, then at Kade.
For the first time since meeting him, she didn’t know who to trust.
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