Chapter 10

Blood Moon Rising

The moon hung low and red in the sky, a rare blood moon that cast an eerie glow across Shadowmoor. The pack believed it was a sign—some said it meant change, others, doom. Lena wasn’t sure what to believe. All she knew was that time was running out.

Since Kieran’s warning, her mind had been in turmoil. She hadn’t told Damian what had happened in the woods. Not yet. Part of her didn’t want to believe her brother—not just because of the implications, but because it would mean everything she had begun to build here was a lie.

But the doubt had taken root.

The morning after their meeting, Lena had gone to the war room to study the maps, pretending nothing had changed. She traced her fingers over the borders, noting the weakened areas and the direction the rogues might take next. Everything felt fragile—on the brink.

Elliot entered first, as usual, a cup of coffee in one hand. “You look like you haven’t slept in a week,” he said casually.

“I haven’t,” Lena muttered.

He arched a brow. “That bad?”

Lena hesitated. Elliot was unpredictable, but not unkind. And he paid more attention than most.

“Did Damian ever tell you how he became Alpha?” she asked.

Elliot set his coffee down slowly. “That’s a dangerous question.”

“Humor me.”

He shrugged and leaned against the table. “His father was Alpha before him. Strong leader, respected. But something happened during the last great conflict with the rogue packs. Damian challenged him. Took the title in a formal duel.”

“Did anyone see it?”

“Only a few. Most are dead now.”

Lena bit her lip. “And his mother?”

Elliot hesitated. “She died soon after. It was ruled a rogue ambush.”

Too convenient.

Before she could ask more, Damian entered the room. His presence filled the space with quiet command.

“We have a problem,” he said without preamble.

Elliot straightened. Lena schooled her expression.

Damian laid a scroll on the table. The seal was unfamiliar.

“A message from the rogue council,” he said.

Lena’s stomach turned. “They have a council now?”

Damian nodded. “Apparently. They’re organizing. Preparing for something bigger.”

He broke the seal and unrolled the parchment. The writing was sharp, elegant, and cold.

TO THE ALPHA OF SHADOWMOOR,

WE OFFER PARLEY.

MEET US AT MIDNIGHT UNDER THE BLOOD MOON. ALONE.

IF YOU DECLINE, WE WILL CONSIDER IT A DECLARATION OF WAR.

Lena stared at the signature. One initial. Kieran.

Damian’s eyes met hers. “You recognize it.”

She nodded slowly. “It’s my brother.”

Elliot let out a low whistle. “Well. That complicates things.”

Damian didn’t speak for a long moment. Then he looked at Lena. “You’re coming with me.”

Her heart jumped. “They said alone.”

“They always say alone.”

---

The clearing where the meeting was to take place was deep in no-man’s-land, where the forest grew thick and the air was colder than it should have been. Lena walked beside Damian in silence, her thoughts a storm.

What would she say to Kieran? Could she believe him? And if she did, could she still stand beside Damian?

They arrived early. The clearing was bathed in crimson light from the rising blood moon. Every sound seemed louder. Every movement, a threat.

Kieran stepped out from the trees alone, hands raised.

Damian tensed beside her.

“Easy,” Lena said softly.

“Sister,” Kieran greeted.

She frowned. “Where are the others?”

“Watching. Waiting. They’ll intervene if this goes badly.”

Damian stepped forward. “What do you want?”

Kieran’s eyes glinted in the moonlight. “Truth. And maybe peace.”

Damian snorted. “Peace? From rogues?”

“You made us rogues,” Kieran snapped. “You and your father. You pushed out anyone who didn’t bow, who didn’t submit.”

“That’s a lie.”

“Is it? Lena, ask him. Ask him what happened that night.”

Lena looked at Damian. “Tell me the truth.”

Damian’s jaw tightened. “I challenged my father because he wanted to turn Shadowmoor into a weapon. He was aligning with the blood cults. Sacrifices, dark magic. I stopped him.”

Lena stepped back. “What?”

“It’s true,” Damian said. “I never meant to kill him, but he wouldn’t yield.”

Kieran laughed bitterly. “Of course you’d spin it that way.”

Lena held up a hand. “Stop. Both of you.”

She took a breath. “Maybe you’re both telling the truth. Or maybe you’re both lying. But this ends tonight. We need to stop the war before it starts.”

“There’s no stopping it,” Kieran said. “But you can choose a side.”

“I choose the pack,” Lena said. “The people who will suffer if this goes on. The innocents. I don’t care about titles or blood.”

Kieran’s gaze softened, but only for a moment. Then he turned and vanished into the trees.

Damian exhaled. “You handled that better than I would have.”

Lena turned to him. “Don’t thank me. I’m still deciding if I believe you.”

His smile was grim. “Fair.”

That night, the blood moon reached its peak.

Lena stood on the ramparts, watching it glow over the forest. Somewhere out there, her brother was preparing for war. And so was she.

Only now, she wasn’t sure which side she was truly on.