HALF-TRUTHS(2)

That evening, the fortress held a vigil for the wounded warriors. The pack gathered in the great hall, their voices rising in the ancient songs of protection and healing. Nyx stood at Caelan's side, feeling the weight of three hundred eyes on her, their suspicion and curiosity mingling with their hope.

She was their Luna. She was supposed to protect them, to guide them, to be the symbol of their unity. But she was also the reason the Hunter had come, the reason they were all in danger. The irony was bitter, sharp as a blade.

Kira found her during the vigil, her expression carefully neutral. "We need to talk," she said quietly. "Privately."

Nyx followed her to an alcove, away from the gathered wolves. Kira's eyes were hard, her jaw tight with barely contained anger.

"I know you're lying," she said without preamble. "I don't know about what, and I don't know why, but I know you're hiding something. Something that's putting everyone at risk."

"Kira—"

"Don't deny it." Kira's voice was sharp, cutting. "I've been watching you since the wedding. The gloves, the strange fighting style, the way you deflected every question about your past. I know you're not what you claim to be."

Nyx felt her carefully constructed world crumbling around her. Kira had been too close, too observant, too determined to uncover the truth. And if Kira knew, it was only a matter of time before the rest of the pack followed.

"I'm not hiding anything that threatens this pack," Nyx said carefully. "Everything I've done has been to protect them."

"Then why don't I believe you?" Kira stepped closer, her eyes blazing with righteous fury. "Why does every word out of your mouth feel like a lie?"

Through the tether, Nyx felt Caelan's approach—his awareness of the confrontation, his concern for her safety. He stepped into the alcove, his presence commanding, his eyes fixed on his sister.

"Kira," he said, his voice firm. "Whatever this is, it can wait."

"Can it?" Kira's voice rose, her composure cracking. "There's a creature on our border that nearly killed our warriors. It's looking for someone, and our Luna is the only one who knows who that someone is. And she's lying about it."

"I know." Caelan's voice was quiet, but there was steel beneath it. "I know she's lying. And I'm giving her time to tell us the truth."

Nyx felt the breath leave her lungs. He knew. He'd known all along, and he'd still defended her, still trusted her, still given her the space to come clean on her own terms.

"Caelan—" she started, but he held up a hand.

"Not now," he said. "We'll talk about this later. Kira, go back to the vigil. Nyx and I need a moment."

Kira hesitated, her eyes blazing with frustration. Then she turned and stalked away, leaving Nyx alone with Caelan in the alcove.

"I wasn't going to tell you," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I was going to keep lying, keep hiding, keep pretending. And you knew the whole time."

"I knew you were hiding something," Caelan corrected. "I didn't know what. But I knew that whatever it was, you had your reasons."

"How can you trust me?" Nyx shook her head, her eyes bright with unshed tears. "After everything I've done, everything I've hidden—how can you still want me?"

Caelan reached out, his hand cupping her cheek. "Because I know you," he said quietly. "I know the person you are when you're not fighting, when you're not pretending. And I know that whatever you're hiding, you're doing it to protect us."

Nyx leaned into his touch, her eyes closing. The lie was crumbling, the carefully constructed fiction dissolving in the warmth of his understanding.

"I'll tell you," she said. "When this is over. Everything."

"I'll hold you to that," Caelan said, echoing her words from earlier. And through the tether, she felt his absolute certainty that she would keep her promise.

---

The vigil continued into the night, the songs of protection and healing rising through the great hall. Nyx stood at Caelan's side, her hand in his, feeling the pack's hope and fear and determination flowing through the bond.

They didn't know the truth. They didn't know what she was, what she'd done, what she was running from. But they knew she was their Luna, and they knew she would protect them.

It was a fragile trust, built on a foundation of lies. But it was also real, tangible, something she could hold onto in the darkness.

And as the night deepened, and the songs faded, and the pack drifted toward their rest, Nyx made a silent vow: she would protect them. No matter what it cost. No matter what she had to reveal. She would keep them safe from the Hunter, from the Goddess, from everything that threatened their world.

And if the truth destroyed her in the process, so be it.

---

In the quiet hours before dawn, Nyx slipped away from the sleeping Alpha and stood on the balcony, watching the stars wheel overhead. The Hunter was out there, waiting in the darkness, searching for her. And she was here, surrounded by wolves who trusted her, loved her, would die to protect her.

She couldn't let them die for her. Couldn't let them sacrifice themselves for a lie. The truth would come out eventually, and when it did, it would destroy everything.

But she would stay. She would fight. She would do whatever it took to keep them safe.

Because that was what it meant to be a Luna.

That was what it meant to be loved.