Luna. Chapter 154

Lyra's POV

The next morning, I woke up to find Kael already dressed and pacing around the bedroom. His proposal last night felt like a dream, but the smile on my face when I remembered it was very real.

"How long have you been up?" I asked.

"A couple hours. I've been thinking about our strategy."

I sat up carefully, my hand going to my belly. "What kind of strategy?"

"We can't keep playing defense. We need to go on the offensive."

"Kael, we talked about this. It's too dangerous."

"Everything's too dangerous now." He sat down on the edge of the bed. "But sitting here waiting for them to make the next move isn't working either."

I could see the determination in his eyes. This was the look he got when he'd made up his mind about something.

"What are you thinking?"

"We need to gather intelligence. Find out what the king's planning next. Who's working with him. How many Ashwalkers he's created."

"And how do we do that?"

"We have people on the inside. Cordelia's still at court. She can feed us information."

"Cordelia's already risking her life for us. We can't ask her to do more."

"She wants to help. She told me so herself."

I pulled the blanket tighter around me. "I don't like it."

"I know you don't. But we need allies if we're going to win this thing."

"What about the other packs? Have you heard anything from them?"

"That's part of the plan. We reach out to every alpha we trust. Build a coalition."

"And if they say no?"

"Then we fight alone. But I don't think they will. The king's not just targeting us anymore. He's targeting anyone who won't fall in line."

I knew he was right. The attacks were getting more frequent. More brutal.

"I want to help," I said.

"Absolutely not."

"Kael, I'm pregnant, not helpless."

"You're both. And I'm not putting either of you at risk."

"We're already at risk. Hiding here isn't keeping us safe."

He ran his hands through his hair. "I can't lose you. I can't lose either of you."

"You won't. But we're stronger together than apart."

"This isn't up for debate."

"Yes, it is." I got out of bed and faced him. "I'm not some delicate flower you need to protect. I'm your partner. Your equal."

"I know that."

"Then treat me like it."

He was quiet for a long moment. "What are you suggesting?"

"We work together. Pool our resources. Use both our contacts."

"Your contacts?"

"I still have friends in other packs. People who trust me."

"And you think they'll help us against the king?"

"I think they'll help us protect innocent people from being turned into monsters."

He nodded slowly. "We'd need to be careful. No direct meetings. Everything through intermediaries."

"Agreed."

"And you stay here where it's safe."

"Kael..."

"That's non-negotiable. You can coordinate from here, but you're not going into the field."

I wanted to argue, but I could see this was as far as he was willing to compromise.

"Fine. But I want to be involved in every decision."

"Deal."

He pulled me into his arms. "I promise we're going to end this."

"Together?"

"Together."