Luna. Chapter 164

I woke up the next morning feeling different. Not just emotionally different from seeing Kael, but physically different. Stronger.

When I got out of bed, I realized my leg wasn't hurting. The injury from months ago, the one that had left me with a persistent limp, was completely gone.

I tested my weight carefully. No pain. No stiffness. Nothing.

"What the hell?" I muttered, bending my knee and rotating my ankle.

Everything worked perfectly. Better than perfectly, actually. I felt like I could run a marathon.

I looked at myself in the bathroom mirror. My skin was clearer, my eyes brighter. Even my hair looked healthier.

"Baby, what did you do to me?" I asked, placing my hand on my belly.

A strong kick was my answer, followed by what felt suspiciously like laughter.

I got dressed and went downstairs, where Asher was eating cereal at the kitchen table.

"Mom, you look different," he said without looking up from his bowl.

"Different how?"

"Sparkly. Like you have light under your skin."

I sat down across from him. "Is that good or bad?"

"Good. The sparkly feeling tastes happy."

"Any other changes you can sense?"

He tilted his head, considering. "You're stronger now. Not just muscle stronger. Magic stronger."

That was both exciting and terrifying. "How much stronger?"

"A lot. Like maybe you could move things with your mind if you tried."

"Asher, that's not how my abilities work."

"Maybe it is now."

To test his theory, I focused on the salt shaker in the middle of the table. I'd never been able to move objects with my mind, but stranger things had happened lately.

Nothing. The salt shaker stayed exactly where it was.

"Maybe not that kind of magic," Asher said. "But definitely some kind."

I spent the morning trying to figure out what had changed. My healing ability seemed stronger - a paper cut I got opening mail sealed itself in seconds. My hearing was more acute. I could smell things from farther away.

But the biggest change was in my energy levels. I felt like I could take on the world.

Around noon, my phone rang. Alpha Nova.

"Have you made your decision?" he asked.

"Yes. I'll lead the coalition."

"Excellent. When can we meet?"

"That's complicated. I can't leave my territory right now."

"Security concerns?"

"Among other things." I couldn't exactly explain that my mate was secretly working against the king and any movement on my part might expose him.

"I understand. What do you suggest?"

"Bring representatives from the other packs here. Tomorrow night."

"That's a lot of alphas to move discreetly."

"Then don't move them discreetly. Make it look like a social gathering. A pre-baby celebration or something."

"A baby shower for alphas?"

"Why not? We need to normalize gathering together. Make the king think we're just being social instead of planning a rebellion."

"I like it. I'll make the calls."

After I hung up, I realized I'd just committed to hosting a secret war council in my own home. While pregnant. With a four-year-old who could read emotions.

"This should be interesting," I said to the baby.

Another kick, definitely amused this time.

I spent the afternoon making plans. Food, seating arrangements, security measures. If we were going to do this, we needed to do it right.

The hardest part would be getting Kael out safely before the other alphas arrived. He couldn't be seen here, but I needed him to know what we were planning.

Around four o'clock, I had an idea. I went up to Asher's room, where he was playing with his building blocks.

"Hey, baby. Can you do me a favor?"

"What kind of favor?"

"I need to send a message to your dad. Can you reach out to him with your mind?"

Asher's abilities had been growing stronger lately. Maybe strong enough for long-distance telepathic communication.

"I can try." He closed his eyes and concentrated. After a minute, he opened them again. "He says he knows about tomorrow night. Cordelia told him."

"Tell him I need to see him before the meeting. Tonight."

Another pause. "He says that's too dangerous."

"Tell him I don't care."

"He says you're stubborn."

"Tell him he's not wrong."

Asher giggled. "He says he'll figure something out."

"Good. Anything else?"

"He says he loves us and he's proud of you for taking charge."

"Tell him we love him too."

After Asher delivered the final message, I went back to planning. Tomorrow night would determine whether we had a real chance at stopping the king or whether we were just going to get a lot of good people killed.

I made lists of questions to ask each alpha. What resources did they have? How many fighters? What intelligence about the king's activities?

The more I planned, the more excited I became. For months, we'd been reacting to the king's moves. Tomorrow night, we'd start making our own.

I was still making notes when I felt a familiar tingling sensation. The baby was doing something, some kind of magic I didn't understand.

"What are you up to in there?" I asked.

The tingling intensified, spreading from my belly throughout my body. It felt like being charged with electricity.

I looked down at my hands. They were glowing faintly.

"Okay, that's new."

The glow lasted only a few seconds, but when it faded, I felt even stronger than before. Like I could take on an army single-handedly.

"Baby, whatever you're doing, save some energy for tomorrow," I said. "We're going to need all the help we can get."

The response was a gentle flutter, like agreement.

I had no idea what was happening to me, but I was starting to think it might be exactly what we needed to win this war.

That evening, I put Asher to bed early and waited for Kael. He arrived just after ten, using the same back door approach as the night before.

"This is becoming a habit," I said, letting him in.

"A dangerous one." He pulled me into his arms immediately. "But I couldn't stay away."

"I need to know your exit strategy for tomorrow night."

"Already handled. I'll leave through the tunnel system under the old mill. It connects to the forest preserve."

"Tunnel system?"

"Underground passages built during Prohibition. Most people have forgotten they exist."

"How do you know about them?"

"Part of the intelligence gathering. I've been mapping every escape route in the territory."

I was impressed despite myself. "And after you're clear?"

"I meet Cordelia at the safe house. We'll monitor communications to see if anyone picked up on the meeting."

"What if they did?"

"Then we improvise."

We spent the next hour going over every detail of tomorrow's plan. Kael had intelligence on all the alphas who would be attending, including their strengths, weaknesses, and political leanings.

"Nova's solid," he said. "But Alpha Kane from the Mountain Pack has been making deals with the king's supporters. Be careful what you share with him."

"Should I not invite him?"

"No, invite him. But give him false information about our capabilities. See if it gets back to Adrian."

"Use him as an unwitting spy."

"Exactly."

By the time Kael left, I felt as prepared as possible for tomorrow's meeting. I also felt more connected to him than I had in months.

The curse breaking had done more than heal my body. It had started healing our relationship too.

I just hoped we'd both survive long enough to see where it led.