BLOOD MOON

Chapter 11

Haliya

We got back to his room in utter silence. After our encounter with Amara and Kali, neither of us spoke again. I mean, I appreciate silence but this one felt suffocating.

Kieran had already fulfilled my request. He brought me outside, just like I asked but it was useless. I couldn’t find a single clue about where I truly was. Still, one thing was clear.

They weren’t rogues.

This was a pack. A distant one, maybe. But definitely a pack.

If it wasn’t, I would’ve sensed it. I’ve been to so many gatherings, celebrations, cross-pack meetings. I know the energy, the territory shift, the subtle scents. But this place, it was entirely unfamiliar.

Too unfamiliar.

“Are you hungry?” Kieran asked suddenly, breaking the silence.

I turned to him, caught off guard. He was standing near the counter, that wooden box from earlier still resting on the table beside him.

Was I hungry?

Not really. But I knew if I said no, we’d fall right back into that choking silence again.

“A little,” I muttered, brushing my hair behind my ear and walking over to the sofa.

He nodded and moved into the kitchen. I watched him pull open a cupboard, then the fridge, fully stocked now. A servant must’ve filled it while we were gone.

My gaze drifted back to the box.

“What’s in that?” I asked before I could stop myself.

Kieran didn’t answer right away. His hands stilled on the counter.

Then, calmly, he said, “Something important.”

His tone was quiet, but final. Like he wasn’t willing to talk about it, at least not now.

I clenched my fists slightly, frustrated. “You keep a lot of secrets.”

He glanced over his shoulder. “And you keep trying to open doors not meant for you.”

“I deserve to know what’s going on,” I said, sitting straighter. “Especially if you’re dragging me along.”

He faced me fully now. “And I told you... little by little.”

I huffed and looked away, trying not to let my irritation rise. I hated this slow unraveling of truth. This game of breadcrumb answers.

Kieran turned back to what he was doing, the sound of clinking plates and utensils filling the room in place of words.

Maybe I should be grateful. He was feeding me, giving me clothes, a roof. But it didn’t feel like kindness.

It felt like control.

Well, I must’ve forgotten what I really am in this pack—a captive.

What am I even thinking?

My priority should be how to escape this unfamiliar place. But I couldn’t even begin to guess where I was. Kieran said it was still in the East, but which part? I’ve traveled enough to know almost every inch of the region… and yet this place feels like it doesn’t exist on any map.

I let out a long sigh, a cold sense of realization creeping in.

Could it be…?

Could Kieran be the Alpha of this pack?

If not the Alpha, then someone close to that rank. Someone with authority. No one dares speak against him, not the guards, not the servants. And even Kali and Amara, as bold as they are, still don’t push him too far.

He has power here.

And I’m stuck in the middle of it.

I opened my mouth, hesitated, then asked the question that had been clawing at my chest for days.

“Kieran,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady, “you said before that you were keeping me here to save me… then why couldn’t you do the same for my parents?”

There was a brief clatter of metal on porcelain. He was silent, back still turned, both hands braced on the counter.

“Kieran?” I called again when he didn’t respond.

I stared at his back, waiting. Hoping. But the silence only made the ache in my chest heavier.

“I don’t really think you’re saving me,” I finally said, each word like a stone in my throat. “If that was your intention, you would’ve taken me to the safe house. We have protocols for this. Our Beta... Cain...he could’ve protected me.”

Still, he didn’t move.

Instead, I kept going, voice rising with each word.

“You keep saying you saved me,” I repeated, almost spitting it now, “but all I see is someone who ripped me away from everything and everyone I know.”

He didn’t flinch. Not even a breath.

I stepped closer, heart pounding. “Someone who hurt the one person I trusted most to protect me.”

That made him turn.

Slowly.

His eyes locked onto mine, no warmth in them. Just ice. Truth. And something that made my stomach twist.

“Do you really think your Beta would’ve protected you?” he asked quietly, but with a razor-sharp edge. “Do you even know who let the enemy in on your coming of age?”

The room suddenly felt colder.

I blinked, confused. “What are you talking about?”

Kieran stepped forward, his presence overwhelming as the weight of his words settled over me.

“No one can just walk into your pack, Haliya. That place is fortified. Guarded. Sealed. Your father made sure of it.”

I stiffened.

“Did you really think rogues—or whatever you want to call them just found a way in that night?”

My mouth opened, but no words came out.

“They knew,” he continued. “They knew the layout. The barriers. The guards’ rotation. They knew you would be outside, vulnerable, celebrating.”

The blood drained from my face.

He took another step toward me. “And you never once thought to question how it all fell apart so easily?”

“You’re insinuating...” I whispered, voice trembling, “that someone from the inside... betrayed us?”

His gaze didn’t waver. “I’m not insinuating anything. I’m telling you.”

My knees nearly buckled. My breath caught in my chest.

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “No. That’s not possible. No one from our pack would do that. We’re loyal. We’re family.”

Kieran’s jaw clenched. “Sometimes the people closest to you are the first to turn.”

My mind flashed to Cain. To the way he stood protectively in front of me. To the way he was thrown to the ground by Kieran.

“Are you saying it was Cain?” I asked, my voice breaking. “He would never—”

“I never said a name,” Kieran cut in, sharply. “But you thought of him first.”

I took a step back, bile rising in my throat.

My world was spinning again. Everything I believed, everyone I trusted, it all suddenly felt... wrong.

Could this be real?

Could someone really have sold us out?

“You’re lying,” I whispered.

Kieran’s expression softened slightly, but his eyes still held that dark certainty.

“I wish I was,” he said.

Everything inside me recoiled.

No. No, it can’t be true. Cain? My father’s Beta? The man who helped raise me, trained me, protected me?

He couldn’t—

He wouldn’t.

I shook my head slowly, my voice barely above a whisper. “Why are you only telling me this now? Why not when I asked the first time?” My eyes narrowed. “Are you manipulating me?”

Kieran’s eyes darkened. “Because you’re becoming annoying, Haliya.”

His tone wasn’t cruel, but it cut deep.

“I didn’t tell you before because I know how much this will hurt. Because I thought... maybe sparing you the pain was better. But you wouldn’t stop,” he said, stepping closer. “So here it is. The truth. I hope it gives you peace.”

Peace?

Tears welled in my eyes before I could stop them. And they fell, silently tracing the curve of my cheek as my heart cracked further.

My knees trembled. My chest felt tight. I hated that he was right that it hurt this much to even consider.

Our pack was peaceful. We weren’t perfect, but we were whole. My father ruled with honor. Kindness. Strength. He listened. He led.

He was respected.

And Cain… Cain stood beside him through every war and every victory. He’d held me when I cried as a pup. Trained me when I was too stubborn to quit.

He was my family.

So why?

“What would he gain?” I choked out. “My father trusted him. He was already second in command. Why betray us? What would drive him to destroy everything?”

Kieran didn’t answer right away. He simply watched me, jaw tight, expression unreadable.

“That’s what you need to find out,” he finally said. “Sometimes loyalty is only skin-deep. And sometimes... power is all it takes to rot it.”

I swallowed hard, the burn in my throat growing stronger. Was this all real? Or just another trick to bend me?