Luna. Chapter 149

(Lyra's POV)

Two days later, we finally got clearance for our first family meeting since this crisis began. The location was a secure room at the children's center where Asher was staying, monitored by Council security but private enough for an honest conversation.

I was nervous walking into that room. Asher had been separated from us for over a week, dealing with the stress and confusion of being in protective custody. I didn't know how he'd react to seeing us together.

But the moment he spotted Kael, his face lit up with pure joy.

"Daddy!"

He launched himself across the room and into Kael's arms, hugging him with the desperate intensity of a child who'd been scared and confused and was finally seeing the person who made him feel safe.

"Hey, buddy," Kael said, his voice thick with emotion. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too! Derek said you were busy protecting us, but I wanted you to come back."

"I know. I'm sorry I couldn't be here sooner."

"Are you staying now?"

Kael glanced at me over Asher's head, and I saw the pain in his eyes. He couldn't promise our son anything, because he didn't know what was going to happen.

"I'm here now," he said instead. "That's what matters."

Asher pulled back to look at Kael's face. "Mommy said the bad people want to take me away."

"They do. But we're not going to let that happen."

"Are you going to fight them?"

"We're going to do whatever we have to do to keep you safe."

"Good. Because I don't want to go with the bad people. I want to stay with you and Mommy and have a baby sister."

Kael froze. "A baby sister?"

Asher nodded seriously. "Mommy has a baby in her tummy. I can feel her. She's going to be really strong, like me, but different."

I felt the color drain from my face. We'd been so careful not to tell Asher about the pregnancy, not wanting to add another complication to an already impossible situation.

"Asher," I said carefully, "how do you know about the baby?"

"Because I can feel her feelings. She's scared sometimes, because you're scared. But she's also excited to meet us."

Kael was staring at me with a mixture of shock and wonder. "Lyra, is he right?"

I'd been planning to tell him. We'd talked about having another child before everything went to hell, and I'd found out about the pregnancy just before the latest crisis exploded.

"Yes," I said quietly. "I'm pregnant."

"How far along?"

"Twelve weeks."

Kael sank into one of the small chairs in the children's room, Asher still in his arms. "Twelve weeks. This whole time, you've been pregnant and dealing with attacks and threats and—"

"I didn't want to add another complication to the situation."

"Another child isn't a complication. It's..." He trailed off, the full implications sinking in.

"It's another target," I finished quietly.

"No. It's another reason to win this fight."

Asher was looking between us with the serious expression he got when he was processing adult concepts he didn't quite understand.

"Is the baby in danger too?" he asked.

"The baby is safe," Kael said firmly. "We're going to make sure both you and your sister stay safe."

"How?"

Kael met my eyes across the room. "By being smarter and stronger and braver than the people who want to hurt our family."

"Can I help?"

"You can help by staying safe and listening to Derek and the other people who are protecting you."

"But I'm strong too. I could help fight the bad people."

"The best way you can help is by being a good big brother and a smart little boy who stays out of danger."

Asher considered this seriously. "Okay. But if the bad people try to take the baby, I'll protect her."

"I know you will, buddy. But that's Daddy's job, okay?"

"And Mommy's job."

"And Mommy's job," Kael agreed.

We spent the next hour playing with blocks and reading stories, trying to give Asher some semblance of normalcy despite the armed guards outside the door.

But when it was time to leave, Asher clung to both of us with desperate strength.

"Don't go," he pleaded. "Stay here with me."

"We can't, baby," I said gently. "But we'll come back soon."

"Promise?"

I looked at Kael, both of us knowing we couldn't make that promise. Not with what we were planning.

"We promise to do everything we can to come back," Kael said finally.

"And we promise that we love you more than anything in the world," I added.

"Even more than the baby?"

"We'll love the baby as much as we love you. But you're our first miracle, Asher. You'll always be special."

He hugged us one more time, and then Derek came to take him to his protected quarters.

"Daddy?" Asher called as we were leaving.

"Yeah, buddy?"

"When this is over, can we have a real family dinner? With everyone safe and happy?"

Kael's voice was rough when he answered. "That's exactly what we're fighting for."

As we walked back to our separate cars, I felt the baby move for the first time—just a flutter, but definitely there.

"We're going to win this," Kael said quietly.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because we have too much to lose. And sometimes that's the only motivation that matters."