Luna. Chapter 125

(Lyra's POV)

I was sitting at the kitchen table the next morning, watching Asher eat his cereal and trying to pretend everything was normal, when the psychic link hit me like a freight train.

Lyra! Emergency at Silver Streams Cottage! We're under attack!

The voice belonged to Iris, one of the omega counselors who worked with rescued trafficking victims. Her mental voice was frantic, terrified, filled with a panic that made my blood run cold.

The spoon fell from my hand, clattering onto the floor. Asher looked up from his breakfast, his little face concerned.

"Mama? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, baby. Keep eating." I forced my voice to stay calm even as adrenaline flooded my system. Iris, what's happening?

Shadow Den Gang! At least six wolves, maybe more. They broke through the protective barriers like they weren't even there. The girls are locked in the safe room, but I don't know how long the door will hold.

Shadow Den Gang. The name sent ice through my veins. They were one of the most brutal trafficking organizations in the region, known for targeting vulnerable omegas and selling them to the highest bidder.

How did they find the cottage? The location was supposed to be secret, protected by both magical wards and mundane security measures.

I don't know! They came out of nowhere. Lyra, they're not here for the girls. They keep asking about you. They want to know where you are.

My heart stopped. About me?

They're saying they have orders to bring you back alive. Something about unfinished business.

Magnus appeared in the doorway, still in his robe, his hair rumpled from sleep. One look at my face and his expression shifted to high alert.

"What's wrong?"

"Silver Streams Cottage is under attack. Omega girls are trapped." I was already moving toward the door. "I have to go help them."

"Absolutely not. You're seven months pregnant. You're not going into a combat situation."

"Magnus, those girls are there because of our rescue operations. They're my responsibility."

"They're our responsibility. I'll handle it."

Iris, how many girls are in the safe room?

Eight. Ages fourteen to nineteen. They're terrified.

Tell them help is coming. Whatever happens, don't open that door until you see me or Magnus.

Lyra, please hurry. I can hear them trying to break down the barriers. They won't hold much longer.

I looked at Magnus, then at Asher, who was still eating his cereal and watching us with wide, curious eyes.

"I have to do this," I said quietly. "Those girls are counting on us."

"Then we do it together. Call Elena to watch Asher. Call backup from both packs. But you're not going in there alone and pregnant."

Iris, we're coming. Hold tight.

I dialed Elena's number while Magnus ran upstairs to get dressed. She answered on the first ring, as if she'd been waiting for a crisis.

"What do you need?"

"Emergency babysitting. Can you be here in ten minutes?"

"On my way."

Next, I called Adrian, Kael's beta and one of the most competent warriors I knew.

"Lyra? It's early, even for you."

"Shadow Den Gang is attacking Silver Streams Cottage. Eight omega girls trapped inside. We need backup."

"How many attackers?"

"At least six confirmed. Maybe more."

"I'll bring a team. Twenty minutes."

"Make it fifteen."

"Done."

Magnus came back downstairs in tactical gear, his face set in grim determination. This was Alpha Magnus, not my gentle husband. This was the man who had built one of the strongest packs in the region through a combination of strategic brilliance and ruthless effectiveness.

"Transport?"

"My truck. It's faster than the SUV through the back roads."

Elena burst through the front door without knocking, already assessing the situation.

"Go," she said simply. "Asher will be fine."

I kissed my son's forehead, breathing in his sweet scent. "Be good for Aunt Elena, okay?"

"Okay, Mama. Are you going to help people?"

"Yes, baby. I'm going to help people."

"Like a superhero?"

Despite everything, I smiled. "Something like that."

Magnus was already in the truck, engine running. I climbed into the passenger seat and immediately reached out through the psychic link again.

Iris, status report.

They're in the building. I can hear them in the main room. The safe room door is holding, but they're testing it.

What about your wolf? Can you shift if you need to?

I'm too scared. My wolf won't respond when I'm this panicked.

That's okay. Just stay hidden. We're five minutes out.

The truck flew down the winding mountain roads toward Silver Streams Cottage, Magnus taking curves at speeds that should have been terrifying but somehow felt necessary. Every second we delayed was another second those girls spent in terror.

Lyra, Aria said suddenly. Something's wrong with this whole situation.

What do you mean?

Shadow Den Gang operates in cities, not mountain territories. They target omegas who are already in vulnerable situations, not ones who are protected by Alpha families.

Maybe they're expanding their territory.

Maybe. Or maybe this isn't really about the girls at all.

What are you saying?

I'm saying that if they're specifically asking about you, if they have orders to bring you back alive, then this might be a trap.

A trap for what?

To separate you from your protections. To get you away from pack territory and backup.

My blood chilled as the implications hit me. The Ashwalkers.

It's possible. This could be their opening move.

"Magnus," I said urgently. "What if this is a setup? What if the real target isn't the girls at all?"

His hands tightened on the steering wheel. "What if it's you."

Iris! I called through the link. The men who are there, describe them. What do they look like?

I... I haven't seen them clearly. But their scent is wrong. Not entirely wolf. Something else mixed in.

Something else how?

Like death. Like old magic. Like things that shouldn't exist.

Magnus and I exchanged looks. Shadow Den Gang were brutal, but they were ordinary wolves. They didn't smell like death and old magic.

"It's the Ashwalkers," I said with certainty. "They're using the cottage as bait."

"To get you away from pack territory."

"And to test my abilities. To see what I can do when pushed to protect innocents."

The cottage came into view ahead of us, a small wooden building nestled in a clearing surrounded by pine trees. It looked peaceful from the outside, but I could sense the wrongness radiating from it like heat waves.

"Last chance to stay in the truck," Magnus said.

"Not happening."

Aria, are you ready for this?

I'm ready. But Lyra, be careful. If these really are Ashwalkers, they'll have abilities we don't understand.

I know. But those girls don't deserve to die because of me.

No, they don't. So let's make sure they don't.

Magnus parked behind a stand of trees, out of sight of the cottage. We could see two figures standing guard outside the building, but they didn't look like ordinary gang members.

They looked like shadows given form, dark and fluid and wrong.

"What the hell are those things?" Magnus whispered.

I stared at the creatures guarding the cottage entrance, creatures that moved like smoke and smelled like nightmares.

"Trouble," I said grimly. "Big trouble."

Iris, we're here. Whatever happens, do not open that door until I tell you it's safe. Do you understand?

I understand. Lyra, be careful. These things... they're not natural.

I know. Just hold tight.

I looked at Magnus, my partner in all the ways that mattered, the man who had stood by me through everything.

"Ready?"

"Ready."

Time to find out what a celestial wolf could really do when her family was threatened.