Chapter 9 The Lies We Were Told

Celeste stood frozen.

The bodies of the shadow wolves lay still, their blood soaking into the earth. The air felt different now-heavier, like whatever had been lurking in the darkness had finally found her.

And Ronan had known.

She turned toward him, her breath unsteady.

His red eyes burned too intensely, but there was something else in them now not just hunger. Not just possessiveness.

Guilt.

Celeste's fingers curled into fists.

"You knew," she whispered.

Ronan's jaw tightened.

"Celeste-"

"You knew," she snapped, stepping back. "You knew what I was this entire time."

A muscle in his jaw twitched. "It wasn't the time to tell you."

Celeste laughed, sharp and bitter. "Not the time? Are you serious? I just burned a wolf without touching it, and some shadow-eyed freak just told me they were looking for me and you think this wasn't the time?"

Ronan exhaled, his head tilting slightly. "Are you finished?"

Celeste shoved him.

Hard.

He didn't move an inch.

Her chest heaved. "Tell me. Tell me what I am."

A long pause.

Then, his voice dropped. Low. Certain.

"You're not a Beta."

Celeste's stomach tightened.

No. No, she already knew that.

She needed more.

Her voice shook. "Then what am I?"

Ronan watched her for a long, excruciating moment.

Then, so softly it made her shiver-

"A Bloodborn."

Celeste stilled.

The word echoed in her skull, bouncing through every nerve, every piece of her memory but it meant nothing.

Bloodborn?

What the hell was a Bloodborn?

Ronan must have seen the confusion in her eyes, because he sighed.

"I should have known," he murmured. "They kept it from you."

Celeste's pulse spiked. "Who?"

He hesitated.

Then "Your family."

The world tilted.

No.

No, that couldn't be right.

Her father her brother they had never lied to her. They had always protected her.

And yet-

Memories flashed.

Her father never letting her train.

Damon always stepping in before she could fight.

The constant warnings. The constant watching.

No.

No, it couldn't be true.

Celeste shook her head. "You're lying."

"I don't lie," Ronan murmured. "You know that."

She hated it.

She hated that he was right.

Her voice shook. "What the hell is a Bloodborn?"

Ronan exhaled, his shoulders tensing.

Then, he stepped forward.

Celeste wanted to back away.

Wanted to run.

But something rooted her to the spot.

"Bloodborns are..." He hesitated. "Wolves who were never meant to exist."

Her stomach tightened.

"Their blood is different," he continued, watching her carefully. "Their wolves are stronger. Their power is older. More dangerous."

Celeste's hands shook.

No. No, she wasn't-

"You felt it, didn't you?" Ronan murmured.

Her breath caught.

She had.

She had felt something wrong inside her wolf. Something off.

That night when she tried to shift and couldn't.

When she had burned the Crescent Pack wolf without touching him.

When she had healed Ronan without thinking.

This was why.

She had never been a Beta.

She had never been normal.

Ronan's voice softened. "You've always known you were different."

Celeste swallowed hard.

This couldn't be real.

Her father her brother why hadn't they told her?

Had they known?

Had they lied to her?

Celeste's chest ached.

Ronan watched her, his gaze gentler than she expected. "I know this isn't what you want to hear."

Her voice was hollow. "Then why tell me now?"

He stepped even closer, his body heat brushing against her skin.

And then, so quietly it made her shiver-

"Because now, you're being hunted."

Celeste's blood turned to ice.

No.

No, that wasn't-

She thought of the shadow-eyed wolves. The way the leader had recognized her.

The way he had smiled.

There you are.

Her breath shook. "Why?"

Ronan's gaze darkened.

"Because Bloodborns are powerful."

Celeste's hands fisted at her sides.

She didn't want power. She didn't want to be special.

She just wanted to be herself.

And now?

Now, she wasn't even sure who she was anymore.

The silence stretched.

Then, finally, Ronan exhaled.

"We can't stay here."

Celeste blinked.

"What?"

He glanced at the bodies around them. "More will come. You saw what they were willing to do just to find you. And now that they have..."

His red eyes met hers.

"They won't stop."

Her stomach twisted.

No. No, she couldn't-

"I have a place," Ronan continued. "It's safe. Hidden."

Celeste stared.

He wanted her to go with him?

She wasn't ready for this. She wasn't ready for any of this.

She wanted to argue. Wanted to say no.

But deep down...

She knew the truth.

She had no choice.

If she stayed here, she'd be dead within the week.

Her breath was shaky. "Where?"

Ronan's lips curled slightly.

And then, so darkly it sent shivers down her spine

"The Bloodwood."

Celeste's pulse spiked.

No.

Not there.

Anywhere but there.

But she had already made her choice.

Because now, for the first time in her life, someone was hunting her.

And the only one who could keep her alive...

Was Ronan Duskbane.