Luna. Chapter 144

(Lyra's POV)

The conference room at the neutral center felt like a stage set for a disaster. Cassius sat at the head of the long table, looking smugly confident. Kael and I sat on opposite sides, the space between us feeling like a chasm.

"Thank you both for coming," Cassius began. "I trust you've had time to consider your situation."

"We've had time to blame each other for it," I said coldly, not looking at Kael.

Cassius raised an eyebrow. "Trouble in paradise?"

"Trouble caused by his stubborn pride," I snapped, finally turning to glare at Kael. "If you had just cooperated from the beginning, none of this would have happened."

Kael's jaw tightened. Good. He was selling it too.

"Cooperated with kidnapping children? With threatening our son?" His voice was ice. "Sorry I didn't roll over fast enough for your comfort."

"Your defiance got me attacked. It put Asher in danger. It destroyed everything we built together."

"What we built together?" Kael laughed bitterly. "You mean the fantasy where we could live normal lives while our son has the power to reshape reality?"

"He's three years old!"

"He's a weapon, and you're too naive to admit it."

The words hit like a physical blow, even though I knew they were scripted. Even though we'd planned this exact exchange.

"Don't you dare—"

"Don't I dare what? Tell the truth? Face reality?" Kael leaned forward, his eyes hard. "Maybe if you spent less time playing house and more time understanding the political situation—"

"I understand perfectly. I understand that your pride matters more to you than your family's safety."

"My pride? My pride is what got us legal protection. My pride is what kept them from taking Asher months ago."

"And where did that get us? I'm in the hospital, Asher's in hiding, and we're at war with the royal family."

Cassius was watching our exchange like a man enjoying a particularly good show. "This is fascinating. Please, continue."

I stood up abruptly, my chair scraping against the floor. "I can't do this anymore."

"Can't do what?" Kael asked.

"This. Us. Pretending that love is enough when our son's life is at stake."

The silence that followed was deafening. I could see the pain in Kael's eyes, real pain mixing with the performance.

"What are you saying?" he asked quietly.

"I'm saying that maybe we were wrong to try again. Maybe some things are too broken to fix."

"Lyra—"

"No. Just... no." I turned to Cassius. "What do you need from us? What will it take to guarantee Asher's safety?"

"An interesting development," Cassius said smoothly. "Alpha Blackwood, your mate seems more reasonable than you are."

"She's scared," Kael said dismissively. "Fear makes people say stupid things."

The casual cruelty in his voice was perfect. And devastating.

"Stupid things?" I whirled around to face him. "Putting our son's life ahead of your ego is stupid?"

"Giving in to terrorists is stupid."

"They're not terrorists. They're the government."

"Same thing."

I felt tears building, real tears mixing with the fake ones we needed for this performance. "I can't believe I ever thought we could make this work."

"Neither can I."

The finality in his voice was like a knife to the chest. Even knowing it was an act, even knowing he was protecting us, it hurt.

I turned back to Cassius. "If I cooperate, if I convince Kael to stop fighting you, will you guarantee Asher's safety?"

"Lyra, don't," Kael warned.

"Why? Because you'd rather watch our son die than admit you were wrong?"

"Because once you start negotiating with them, they own you."

"They already own us! Can't you see that?"

Cassius was practically purring with satisfaction. "Ms. Blackwood, I appreciate your pragmatic approach. But I'm afraid the damage has already been done."

"What do you mean?"

"Your mate's defiance has consequences. Consequences that can't be undone by late cooperation."

I felt ice in my veins. "What consequences?"

"The kind that require... dramatic demonstrations of submission."

Kael was on his feet instantly. "What the hell does that mean?"

"It means that simple cooperation isn't enough anymore. It means you need to prove your loyalty in ways that can't be misunderstood."

"Such as?"

Cassius smiled. "Such as publicly denouncing everything you've said and done. Such as formally requesting royal oversight of your son's abilities. Such as demonstrating that you understand the error of your ways."

"Go to hell."

"Kael, stop," I said desperately. "Just stop making this worse."

"Worse? How can it possibly be worse?"

"Because they'll kill him!" The words exploded out of me. "Because I can't lose another child!"

The raw emotion in my voice wasn't acting. The fear, the desperation, the willingness to do anything to protect Asher—that was all real.

"You think giving in will save him?" Kael's voice was gentler now, but still angry. "You think they'll honor whatever deal they make with us?"

"I think it's better than watching him die because you're too proud to bend."

"And I think you're willing to sacrifice everything we believe in because you're too scared to fight."

The accusation hung between us like poison.

"Maybe I am," I whispered. "Maybe I'm tired of fighting impossible battles."

"Then maybe we really are done."

I stared at him, seeing the man I loved more than life itself, the father of my children, the person who'd been my anchor through every storm.

And then I slapped him.

The sound echoed through the conference room like a gunshot. Kael's head snapped to the side, his hand moving to his cheek.

"Don't you ever," I said, my voice shaking with rage, "ever accuse me of not caring about our beliefs. Everything I've done, every choice I've made, has been about protecting our family."

"By giving up."

"By being smart enough to know when we're beaten."

Cassius was clapping slowly. "Magnificent. Absolutely magnificent."

I turned to him, hatred burning in my chest. "Are you satisfied?"

"Completely. It's clear that your united front was nothing more than a performance for my benefit. And now that the performance is over..."

"Now what?"

"Now we move to the next phase."