Luna. Chapter 203

(Lyra's POV)

The welcome celebration at the border was just the beginning.

As Kael drove our car through the winding road toward the main pack settlement, I started to see them. People lining the streets. Not just a few curious pack members, but hundreds.

No. Thousands.

"Kael," I whispered, staring out the window. "What is this?"

"I have no idea."

The road was packed with Iron Claw Pack members. They held signs with my name on them. With Nova's name. With welcome messages written in bright colors.

Children sat on their fathers' shoulders, waving small flags. Teenagers held banners that read "Welcome Home Luna Lyra!" Women threw flower petals onto the road as our car passed.

This wasn't a simple pack homecoming. This was a parade.

"Mama, look at all the people!" Asher pressed his face to the car window, his eyes wide with wonder.

I felt tears start to burn behind my eyes. After years of exile, years of being told I wasn't wanted, this reception was overwhelming.

My hands were shaking.

"They're all here for us," Kael said, his voice filled with amazement. "For you."

"I don't understand. How do they even know we're coming?"

"Pack news travels fast. But this..." He gestured at the crowds lining both sides of the street. "This is incredible."

Magnus's car was behind us, and I could see him through the rearview mirror, looking just as stunned as we were. Even he hadn't expected this level of welcome.

An older woman stepped forward from the crowd, holding a baby who couldn't have been more than six months old. She lifted the infant high, showing her to Nova through the car window.

Nova pressed her tiny hand against the glass, babbling excitedly.

"They want to see her," I realized. "They want to see our daughter."

"She's their future Luna," Kael said softly. "Thomas's granddaughter. The next generation."

More people joined the street celebration. Pack members I remembered from my childhood were there, faces I hadn't seen in six years. They were smiling. Genuinely happy to see me.

Mrs. Peterson, who used to run the pack nursery when I was little, was crying and waving. Jake Morrison, a distant cousin, held up a sign that said "The Morrisons Are Back!"

My family name. They remembered my family.

"I'm going to cry," I warned Kael.

"Go ahead and cry. I might join you."

The crowd grew thicker as we approached the pack center. Someone had set up speakers, and pack songs were playing. Traditional wolf melodies that I hadn't heard in years.

Children ran alongside our car, laughing and shouting. Adults applauded as we passed. Elderly pack members sat in lawn chairs, watching the celebration with satisfied expressions.

"They planned this," I said, wiping my eyes. "Someone organized all of this."

"My mother," Kael said, pointing toward the main square ahead. "Look."

Sarah stood in the center of what looked like a festival. Tables loaded with food. Decorations hanging from trees. A stage where pack musicians were performing.

This wasn't just a welcome. This was a celebration.

"How many people are here?" I asked.

"The entire pack, by the look of it. Plus visitors from neighboring territories."

I spotted Magnus's pack banner among the crowd. Other visiting Alphas had come to witness my return. This was turning into a significant political event.

"I'm nervous."

"Don't be nervous. Look at their faces. They're genuinely happy."

He was right. These weren't forced smiles or polite expressions. Pack members were beaming with real joy. Some were crying happy tears just like I was.

A group of teenage girls held up a banner that read "Nova's Fan Club." They'd drawn little wolves and hearts all around the letters.

"Your daughter already has fans," I told Nova, who was clapping her hands at all the excitement.

"Just like her father," Kael said with a grin.

"Definitely not like her humble mother."

The car finally reached the main square, where Thomas was waiting with what looked like every pack elder and important family. But even they were smiling warmly instead of looking formal and intimidating.

"Ready?" Kael asked, parking the car.

"No. But let's do this anyway."

The moment we stepped out of the car, the cheering got louder. Pack members pressed forward, not aggressively but with obvious eagerness to see us up close.

"Lyra!" Sarah appeared at my side immediately. "Look at this turnout! I've never seen anything like it."

"You organized this?"

"I sent out word that you were coming home. The pack did the rest." She gestured at the celebration around us. "They've been preparing for three days."

Three days. They'd spent three days preparing a welcome for the woman who used to be exiled from this place.

"I don't know what to say."

"Don't say anything yet. Just enjoy it."

Magnus appeared beside us, looking impressed despite himself. "I have to admit, I didn't expect this level of enthusiasm."

"Neither did I," Thomas said, joining our group. "The pack has been talking about this homecoming for weeks. Ever since word spread that Kael was bringing his family back."

Asher was already surrounded by other children, all of them chattering excitedly and comparing notes about who had the coolest shoes or the best backpack.

"He fits right in," I observed.

"Pack children always do," Thomas said. "It's instinctive."

Nova was reaching for Sarah, clearly wanting her grandmother to hold her. When Sarah took her, Nova immediately charmed the entire crowd with one of her big gummy grins.

"She's going to be spoiled rotten here," I predicted.

"As she should be," Sarah said firmly. "She's the Alpha's daughter."

The Alpha's daughter.

Not Kael's daughter. The Alpha's daughter.

That meant something different here. Something bigger.

"Come on," Thomas said, gesturing toward the stage. "There are some people who want to meet you properly."

As we walked through the crowd, pack members reached out to touch my arm or shake my hand. To welcome me personally. To tell me they were glad I was home.

Home.

For the first time since arriving, that word felt real.

This place, with these people, celebrating our return like we'd never left. This was home.

My throat got tight again.

"You okay?" Kael asked, taking my free hand.

"I'm perfect," I told him.

And for the first time in years, I actually meant it.