BLOOD MOON

Chapter 14

Haliya

I was sent back to his room after the pack doctor confirmed I was okay. My wounds were cleaned and bandaged, though the soreness still lingered.

Since then, I’ve barely seen Kieran. Days passed in a blur of silence and meals delivered by Mira. I didn’t know if he was busy or just avoiding me. I should’ve felt relieved for the space, but part of me... an annoying, almost wished he’d come see me.

I hated that.

“Is Kieran the Alpha, Mira?” I asked one afternoon, pushing a piece of meat around my plate.

Mira, the servant Kieran had assigned to bring me food, glanced up from where she was setting a glass of water beside my tray. I was glad he’d chosen her instead of some stranger. She was quiet, gentle and easy to talk to.

“No,” she said softly, “but he’s one of the heirs aiming for the throne.”

Heirs? That made me pause. So, he wasn’t Alpha yet?

I furrowed my brows. “How many are aiming for the throne?”

“There are four boys and one girl,” she replied, wiping her hands on her apron before sitting across from me, just for a moment. “Kieran, Cullen, Samuel, Jackson, and Amara.”

That surprised me. I only knew Amara and of course, Kieran. But the others? I hadn’t seen them around.

“Is Kieran the eldest?” I asked.

Mira nodded. “Yes. And probably the strongest.”

I leaned back, the plate suddenly forgotten. “Then why isn’t he already Alpha?”

She hesitated, as if weighing how much she was allowed to say. “It’s… complicated. Their father is still alive. And choosing a successor isn’t just about strength or age. It's about leadership. Politics. Loyalty.”

Loyalty. The word echoed louder in my mind than it should’ve.

“And Kieran?” I asked slowly. “Do people… want him to be Alpha?”

Mira looked at me then. “Some do. Others fear him. He’s powerful, but not everyone understands his choices.”

"I haven’t seen some of his brothers or the Alpha. Where are they?" I asked, leaning slightly forward.

Mira lowered her gaze as she began folding the napkin beside my plate. “Most of them are stationed across the region, handling pack affairs. Cullen oversees the borders in the north, Samuel works closely with the warriors in the south, and Jackson is more… elusive. He comes and goes.”

“And their father?” I pressed. “The current Alpha?”

“He stays in the High Hall,” she said. “Rarely steps out. He's… not the man he once was.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Sick?”

She shook her head. “No. Just… distant. Ever since the Luna passed, he's let the heirs lead more and more.”

So that’s how it is. A power struggle masked as duty, sons scattered across territories, a grieving Alpha fading into the shadows while his children vie for the throne.

And then there’s Kieran… bringing me here in the middle of it all.

“Do you think he wants to be Alpha?” I asked.

Mira paused. “I think he wants to deserve it.”

That answer did something strange to my chest. I didn’t like it. It made him feel real. And real made everything more complicated.

"What's this pack called?" I wondered aloud, my voice barely rising above a whisper as I watched Mira arrange the last of the dishes.

The last time Kieran brought me outside, I tried searching for anything familiar. But nothing gave me a clue. It was like I had been dropped in a different world entirely. If only Mira had kept coming around sooner… things might’ve made more sense. She always had answers, even the ones I didn’t think to ask.

"Blood Moon," she said with a small, knowing smile before stepping back. "That’s the name of this place."

Blood Moon?

The name echoed in my head, heavy and strange. I think I’ve heard it before. Somewhere, sometime. But the memory felt blurry, like trying to hold smoke in my hands.

I stared down at the food she’d left, appetite lost. Why did that name send a chill through me?

I don't remember ever visiting Blood Moon… or their Alpha ever attending any of the alliance gatherings, ceremonies, or festivals we used to host. They were never part of the delegation that came to Crescent Fang. Not once did my father mention them.

Blood Moon.

The name lingered, unsettling. It sounded ominous, like something hidden behind layers of secrecy. A pack that powerful should’ve made its presence known. But this one? It's like they deliberately stayed in the shadows, only surfacing when it served them.

I leaned back against the wall, fingers curling tightly around the edge of the blanket as I whispered the name again under my breath.

I tried to set aside the uneasiness clawing at my thoughts. Maybe I was just overthinking. Still… the name echoed too heavily in my head for it to mean nothing. I wracked my memory, desperate to recall where I might’ve heard it before. Maybe from an elder… a visiting Alpha… a council whisper behind closed doors?

But I was certain it wasn’t my father who ever spoke of it.

Needing air, or maybe just a distraction, I stood and padded quietly to the window near the cabinet. The room’s silence pressed against me like a second skin. Pulling the curtains slightly apart, my gaze swept over the darkened compound.

And then I saw it again.

That same massive structure standing tall beside the fortress I was trapped in. Towering and cold, yet regal in the way it loomed. The stones were darker than the ones used here, its sharp spires almost clawing at the moonlit sky.

Maybe… that’s the High Hall. Where the Alpha lives.

I wonder what’s inside. It’s too grand, too cold-looking, too watchful to be just a packhouse. The sharp corners of its roof, the iron-lined balconies, the statues that seemed to guard every arch. It felt more like a stronghold for secrets than a home.

And then, something popped into my head.

They said losing a Luna can drive an Alpha mad. The stories about Alphas losing control, their wolves spiraling, their minds fraying at the edges when their mates died.

So… how did their Alpha cope?

And how did their Luna die?

There was a weight in that question, one I didn’t quite understand yet. I wanted to know the details. Every bit of it. But if I asked Mira now, she might start to question me, might think I’m fishing for something more than just simple answers.

So, I’ll keep this one to myself. For now. But I’ll figure it out soon. I have to.

It’s been a week since I last saw Kieran. And I feel a little bad. I mean, I miss him... a little. He’s the only person I could somehow rely on in this pack, and now it feels like he’s completely abandoned me. Stupid, asshole.

“Mira, why are there battered women in the north wing?” I asked.

I wasn’t sure how many there were, but the memory of that one girl with her bruised arms and haunted eyes kept creeping back in. I needed answers.

Mira paused mid-step, the tray in her hands wobbling slightly. I hadn’t meant to blurt it out, but it slipped. I had to know.

She set the tray down slowly, her expression shifting from casual politeness to something heavier, something guarded.

“You saw them?” she asked in hushed tones.

I nodded. “One of them… she looked terrified.”

Mira hesitated, then sat down, lowering her voice. “They’re… victims. Some were rogues rescued during raids. Others came seeking sanctuary. Not all of them were lucky.”

I furrowed my brows. “What do you mean?”

Because from what I saw, the man dragging that girl didn’t look like he was saving her. He looked like the one she was afraid of. Mira’s explanation didn’t match. That girl wasn’t seeking protection, she looked like she was being punished.

Mira’s jaw tensed, fingers curling slightly against her skirt.

“I mean…” she glanced at the door, lowering her tone even more, “…this place doesn’t always treat the wounded like they’re meant to be healed.”

My chest tightened.

“What do you mean?” I asked again.

She exhaled, then said quietly, “Some of them were taken in, yes. But others weren’t given a choice. Not all rogues are treated the same. Some are used. Punished. Re-educated, they call it.”

That word. Re-educated. It sounded too neat, too sterile, for something that ugly.

“I saw that man drag her,” I said. “She looked like she wanted to run.”

Mira didn’t deny it. Her eyes dropped to her hands. “Not everyone here agrees with the Alpha’s… methods.”

“You mean Kieran?” I asked, already uncertain.

Her head snapped up. “No. Kieran doesn’t run that wing. That’s Cullen’s domain.”

Cullen.

The name chilled me. One of Kieran’s brothers. The one I hadn’t seen, hadn’t even heard mentioned until recently.

“He’s in charge of the North Wing?”

She nodded. “And he’s not like Kieran. He believes fear earns respect.”

My stomach turned. Something was deeply wrong here. This pack… it wore a mask. One of power and order. But behind closed doors?

“How long has this been going on?” I asked softly.

“Longer than I’ve worked here,” Mira whispered, then glanced at the door again. “Please… don’t ask questions too loud. It’s not safe. Not for me. Not for you.”