Luna. Chapter 135

(Lyra's POV)

Everything hurt. That was my first conscious thought as I drifted back toward wakefulness. My ribs felt like they were on fire, my head was pounding, and there was a terrible taste in my mouth.

I opened my eyes slowly, squinting against harsh fluorescent lights. Hospital. I was definitely in a hospital.

"Hey there, beautiful."

I turned my head carefully toward the voice. Kael was sitting in the chair beside my bed, looking like he hadn't slept in days. His hair was disheveled, his clothes wrinkled, and there was an expression in his eyes that I'd only seen once before—the night Asher was born.

"You're here," I whispered, my voice coming out as a croak.

"Where else would I be?" He reached out slowly, like he wasn't sure he had the right to touch me, and brushed a strand of hair away from my face. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I got hit by a truck." I tried to sit up and immediately regretted it as pain shot through my ribs.

"Easy. You had surgery. Broken ribs, internal bleeding, concussion."

"I remember some of it. Three men. They attacked me at the pack house."

Kael's expression darkened. "Do you remember anything else? What they said, why they were there?"

I closed my eyes, trying to piece together the fragmented memories. "They kept asking about Asher. About his abilities. They wanted to know if I was teaching him to use his powers."

"What did you tell them?"

"Nothing. I told them nothing." I looked at him directly. "But Kael, they knew things. Specific things about our family, about the palace visit, about the legal protections Adrian got for us."

"They're working for the royal family."

"How do you know?"

"Because General Cassius called me. Basically admitted they orchestrated the attack."

I felt cold despite the warm hospital room. "They're escalating."

"Yeah. They are."

"Where's Asher?"

"Safe. Hidden. Council security has him in a secure location until we figure out what to do next."

"He must be scared."

"Derek is with him. And Adrian. He's probably having the time of his life being protected by Beta warriors."

I tried to smile, but it hurt too much. "What happens now?"

"Now we fight back."

"How?"

"I don't know yet. But Lyra, I need you to know something." Kael leaned forward, his eyes intense. "This is my fault. My defiance at the palace, my refusal to cooperate—"

"Stop."

"But—"

"Stop, Kael. This isn't your fault. This started long before your palace visit." I reached out, ignoring the pain in my ribs, and took his hand. "They've been targeting our family for months. You just finally stood up to them."

"I should have protected you better."

"You can't protect me from everything."

"I can try."

There was something in his voice, a determination that went deeper than anger or guilt. He looked like a man who'd made a decision.

"What are you planning?" I asked.

"Nothing dangerous."

"Kael."

"Okay, something dangerous. But necessary."

"Tell me."

He was quiet for a long moment, clearly debating how much to share. "Adrian thinks we should get married. Soon. The legal protections for married couples are stronger than what we have now."

"Married?" The word came out sharper than I'd intended.

"I know it sounds crazy. I know we haven't even talked about trying again. But Lyra, if being my legal mate protects you and Asher—"

"You want to marry me for legal protection?"

"No." His answer was immediate and firm. "I want to marry you because I love you. Because I never stopped loving you. Because watching you in this hospital bed is killing me."

I stared at him, seeing the raw emotion in his face. "Kael..."

"The legal protection would just be a bonus."

"What if I'm not ready? What if too much has happened for us to go back?"

"Then we go forward. We build something new instead of trying to recreate what we had."

"And if it doesn't work?"

"Then at least we'll know we tried. At least we'll know we fought for our family."

A soft knock interrupted our conversation. Victor appeared in the doorway, looking concerned and tired.

"How's our patient?" he asked gently.

"Sore. Confused. Angry." I looked between him and Kael. "Dad, they attacked me because of Asher's abilities."

"I know."

"This is going to keep happening, isn't it? Until they get what they want."

Victor sat down in the second visitor chair. "Yes. I think it is."

"So what do we do?"

"We give them what they want," Victor said quietly.

"What?" Both Kael and I spoke at the same time.

"We give them Asher."

The silence that followed was deafening. I felt like Victor had just suggested we sacrifice our son to save ourselves.

"Dad, you can't be serious."

"Hear me out. We give them supervised access to Asher. Limited, controlled, documented access. We let them study his abilities under conditions we negotiate."

"Absolutely not," Kael said immediately.

"It's better than them taking him by force," Victor argued. "At least this way, we maintain some control."

"We maintain the illusion of control while they experiment on our son."

"Kael's right," I said firmly. "We're not negotiating with people who attack pregnant women in their own homes."

Victor sighed. "Then we're at war."

"Then we're at war."

I looked at Kael, seeing my own determination reflected in his eyes. Whatever came next, we'd face it together.

Our family was worth fighting for.