Luna. Chapter 151

(Kael's POV)

Lyra was waiting for me in the living room of the safe house, curled up on the couch with a cup of tea that had probably gone cold hours ago. She looked exhausted, worried, and achingly beautiful.

"How did Asher really handle the visit?" she asked as soon as I sat down beside her.

"He handled it better than I did."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean finding out I'm going to be a father again, in the middle of all this chaos..." I reached out and touched her still-flat stomach gently. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Because you had enough to worry about. Because I didn't want to add another complication to an impossible situation."

"Lyra, this baby isn't a complication. It's the best thing that's happened to us in months."

She looked at me skeptically. "Really? Even with everything that's going on?"

"Especially with everything that's going on." I pulled her closer, needing to feel her warmth, her realness. "This baby is proof that we still believe in the future. That despite everything they're trying to do to us, we're still building a life together."

"Or it's proof that we're irresponsible idiots who brought another child into a war zone."

"Hey." I tilted her chin up so she had to meet my eyes. "Don't do that. Don't let them make you afraid of the good things in our life."

"I'm scared, Kael. I'm terrified that they'll use this baby against us the same way they're using Asher."

"They will. That's exactly what they'll do."

"That's not reassuring."

"But it doesn't change how I feel about having another child with you. It doesn't change the fact that this baby is wanted and loved already."

Tears were building in her eyes. "How can you be so calm about this?"

"Because being afraid won't protect any of us. And because..." I paused, trying to find the right words. "Because Asher knowing about his sister before we even told him feels like a sign."

"A sign of what?"

"That this family is stronger than the people trying to destroy it. That our children have abilities and connections that go beyond what the royal family understands."

Lyra was quiet for a moment, her hand moving to cover mine on her stomach. "Asher said the baby is scared sometimes because I'm scared."

"Are you scared?"

"Terrified. Every minute of every day."

"Me too. But I'm also excited about meeting our daughter."

"Daughter?"

"Asher seemed pretty sure it's a girl."

"And you trust his supernatural intuition?"

"I trust everything about our son. Including his ability to know things he shouldn't know yet."

Lyra leaned against my shoulder, and for a moment we just sat there, focusing on the miracle of new life instead of the threats surrounding us.

"There's something else I need to tell you," I said eventually.

"What now?"

"Derek got intelligence that suggests the royal family is planning to move against both you and Asher within the next seventy-two hours."

I felt her tense against me. "Move how?"

"Permanent relocation. Beyond the reach of legal challenges or rescue attempts."

"They're going to disappear us."

"They're going to try."

"And the baby?"

"I think they view an unborn celestial wolf hybrid as an even bigger threat than a toddler with developing abilities."

Lyra was quiet for a long moment, processing the implications.

"So what do we do?" she asked finally.

"We move first. We implement the plan now instead of waiting two weeks."

"Are we ready?"

"We'll have to be."

She pulled back to look at me directly. "Kael, I need you to know something."

"What?"

"I know about the agreement. The one you signed with the King."

My blood went cold. "How do you know about that?"

"Derek showed me the documents. I know what you gave up to protect Asher. I know what it's costing you to keep us safe."

I felt exposed, vulnerable in a way I hadn't experienced since childhood. "Lyra—"

"Don't apologize. Don't explain. Just let me say this." She took my hands in hers. "I understand now why you've been so careful, so controlled. You've been trying to protect everyone while carrying the burden of that agreement alone."

"I didn't want you to know how bad things really were."

"And I didn't want to see how much you were sacrificing. But we can't keep protecting each other from the truth anymore."

"What truth?"

"The truth that this situation is bigger than both of us. The truth that we can't solve it by making individual sacrifices or trying to shield each other from the worst parts."

I studied her face, seeing a strength and determination that reminded me why I'd fallen in love with her in the first place.

"So what do you suggest?"

"I suggest we stop trying to save each other and start trying to save our family. Together. With full knowledge of what it costs and what we stand to lose."

"Even if it means risking everything?"

"Especially if it means risking everything. Because the alternative is watching them destroy us piece by piece until there's nothing left to save."

I kissed her then, pouring all my love and fear and hope into that connection. When we broke apart, I rested my forehead against hers.

"I love you," I said. "I love you and Asher and this baby we're going to have. And I'm going to make sure we all get through this."

"We're going to make sure we all get through this," she corrected. "Together."

"Together."

Outside, I could hear the sounds of our security team changing shifts, of a world that was preparing for war. But inside this room, with Lyra in my arms and our children safe for the moment, I felt something I hadn't felt in months.

Hope.