Luna. Chapter 198

（Lyra's POV）

I woke up to the smell of coffee and something sweet baking in the oven. Pancakes, maybe. Or muffins.

The bed beside me was empty but still warm. I could hear voices downstairs. Kael's deep rumble and Asher's excited chatter.

I stretched, feeling the unfamiliar weight of the engagement ring on my finger. Even in the morning light, it sparkled.

Mrs. Henderson.

I was going to be Mrs. Henderson.

After pulling on a robe, I headed downstairs. The scene in the kitchen made my heart swell.

Kael stood at the stove, flipping pancakes while Nova sat in her high chair, banging a wooden spoon against the tray. Asher was at the counter, carefully arranging our Christmas cookies on a plate.

"Good morning, beautiful," Kael said when he saw me.

"Morning." I kissed his cheek. "You're up early."

"Couldn't sleep. Too excited to be home."

Asher looked up from his cookie arranging. "Mama! Daddy made star-shaped pancakes! And he says we can have cookies for breakfast!"

"I promised someone cookies for breakfast," Kael reminded me with a grin.

"So you did."

Nova banged her spoon harder and squealed when she saw me. I lifted her from the high chair and covered her face with kisses until she giggled.

"Did you sleep well, baby girl?"

She babbled something that sounded like agreement and grabbed my hair.

"Coffee?" Kael offered, already pouring me a cup.

"Please." I settled Nova back in her high chair and accepted the coffee gratefully. "This is nice. All of us together."

"It really is."

Kael set a plate of perfect star-shaped pancakes in front of me. They were golden brown and smelled like vanilla.

"These look amazing."

"Daddy's the best pancake maker in the world," Asher declared around a mouthful of cookie.

"I think you might be right," I agreed.

We ate breakfast in comfortable chaos. Nova threw more food than she ate. Asher told elaborate stories about each cookie. Kael kept catching my eye and smiling.

This was what I'd missed during his missions. Not just him, but this feeling. This sense of completeness.

After breakfast, while Kael cleaned up, I took Nova upstairs to change her diaper. She was getting so squirmy, trying to roll over and crawl away before I could get her cleaned up.

"Hold still, little miss," I laughed, catching her before she rolled off the changing table.

When I came back downstairs, Kael was on the couch with Asher, looking at a photo album. Old pictures from before Nova was born.

"Look, Mama!" Asher called. "Pictures of when I was little!"

I sat beside them, Nova in my lap. The photos were from Asher's second birthday. He looked so tiny compared to now.

"You were adorable," I told him.

"Daddy says I'm still adorable."

"Daddy's right."

We flipped through more pages. Pictures of our first Christmas together. Asher learning to walk. Family barbecues at Elena and Victor's house.

"We should take new pictures," Kael said. "Now that Nova's here."

"That's a good idea. Elena would love new family photos."

Asher jumped up. "Can we take pictures now?"

"Sure. But first..." Kael looked at me seriously. "There's something we need to talk about. All of us."

I felt my stomach tighten. "What kind of something?"

"Nothing bad," he said quickly. "Just... a decision we need to make. As a family."

He pulled Asher back onto the couch between us. "Buddy, how would you feel about moving?"

"Moving where?"

"Back to Iron Claw Pack. Where I grew up. Where your grandparents live."

Asher's eyes widened. "We'd live with Grandma and Grandpa?"

"Near them. In our own house. But close enough to visit all the time."

I felt my heart start racing. "Kael, we haven't talked about this."

"I know. I wanted to talk to you first, but Asher should be part of the conversation too." He looked at our son. "What do you think, buddy? Would you like to meet more family? Other kids from the pack?"

Asher considered this seriously. "Would Aunt Elena and Uncle Victor come too?"

"No, sweetheart," I said gently. "They'd stay here. But we could visit them. And they could visit us."

"But I'd miss them."

"I know. We all would."

Kael reached over and ruffled Asher's hair. "It's just an idea, buddy. We don't have to decide right now."

But I could see it in Kael's eyes. This wasn't just an idea. This was what he wanted. What he needed.

"Can I think about it?" Asher asked.

"Of course. Take all the time you need."

Asher nodded and wandered off to play with his new wooden wolf, leaving Kael and me alone with Nova.

"You want to go back," I said quietly.

"I think it might be time. For all of us."

"Why now?"

Kael was quiet for a moment. "Because of what happened during the mission. Because of what I learned about Cassius and the enhanced abilities." He paused. "Because I think Nova and I might both need to be around other wolves. To understand what we're becoming."

"Nova?"

"She's showing signs. Early signs of enhanced abilities. Did you notice how she reacted to my scent last night?"

I had noticed. The way Nova had perked up when Kael came home. More alert than usual. Like she could sense something I couldn't.

"She's just a baby."

"A baby who might inherit some of my new abilities. She'll need training eventually. Guidance from other pack members."

I felt fear creeping into my chest. "What if they don't accept us? What if they still see me as the woman who was exiled?"

"That won't happen."

"How can you be sure?"

"Because I'm not the same person who left. I have power now. Influence. And because..." He hesitated. "Because I might be the next Alpha."

My breath caught. "What?"

"My father is getting older. The enhanced abilities make me a strong candidate to lead. If that happens, no one would dare question your place in the pack."

Alpha. Kael as Alpha. Me as an Alpha's mate.

It should have felt exciting. Instead, it terrified me.

"I don't know if I'm ready for that kind of life again."

"You don't have to be ready now. We can take it slow. Visit first. See how it feels."

I looked down at Nova, sleeping peacefully in my arms. Then at Asher, playing quietly with his toys. Then at Kael, hope and uncertainty warring in his expression.

My family. My pack. The only one that really mattered.

"Okay," I said finally. "We can talk about it. Seriously talk about it."

Kael's face lit up. "Really?"

"Really. But I have conditions."

"Name them."

"We visit first. A long visit. And if I'm not comfortable, if the kids aren't happy, we come back here. No questions asked."

"Agreed."

"And Elena and Victor get unlimited visiting privileges. This will always be their home too."

"Of course."

I took a deep breath. "And if you become Alpha... we do it together. As partners. I won't just be the Alpha's mate. I'll be your equal."

Kael smiled. "I wouldn't want it any other way."

Maybe this could work. Maybe Iron Claw Pack could become our home again.

Or maybe it would be a disaster.

But we'd face it together. All of us.

As a family.