Luna. Chapter 207

(Lyra's POV)

Later that evening, after Nova had been fed and changed and was sleeping peacefully in the crib Kael had made for her, we lay in bed talking about our future.

"Thomas wants to do the Alpha transition next month," Kael said, running his fingers through my hair.

"That soon?"

"He says he's been ready to step down for a while, but he wanted to wait until I had my personal life sorted out."

"And now you do?"

"Now I do. I have my mate back, my children are healthy and happy, and I'm ready to lead this pack."

I shifted so I could see his face. "Are you nervous about becoming Alpha?"

"Terrified. But also excited."

"What happens to me when you become Alpha?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do I automatically become Luna? Is there a ceremony? Do I have to prove myself somehow?"

Kael sat up slightly. "Lyra, you've been Luna of this pack since the day we mated. The rejection and exile were illegal. You never stopped being Luna."

"But I haven't been acting as Luna."

"Because you were forced into exile. That doesn't change your status."

"So when you become Alpha..."

"You'll be officially recognized as Luna. There will be a ceremony to make it formal, but you're already Luna in everything but public acknowledgment."

The idea was overwhelming. I'd gone from being an exiled reject to the Luna of one of the most powerful packs in the region.

"I don't know if I'm ready for that responsibility."

"You are. You've always been ready. You were ready six years ago when we first mated."

"Six years ago I was nineteen and naive and thought being Luna meant wearing pretty dresses and hosting tea parties."

"And now?"

"Now I know it means protecting the pack, making difficult decisions, and being responsible for hundreds of people's wellbeing."

"Exactly. You understand the real responsibility now, which makes you perfect for the job."

I wasn't sure about perfect, but I was definitely different than I'd been at nineteen.

"What would the Luna ceremony involve?"

"A formal introduction to the pack as my Luna. Vows of protection and service. The pack's acceptance of your leadership."

"Do you think they'll accept me? After everything that happened?"

"Did you see the welcome we got today? The thousands of pack members who came out to celebrate your return?"

"That was overwhelming."

"That was pack members showing you that they're ready to follow you. That they believe in you."

"Or they were just being polite."

Kael laughed. "Trust me, pack members aren't polite about leaders they don't respect. If they didn't want you as Luna, you would have gotten a very different reception."

"What kind of different reception?"

"Cold politeness. Forced smiles. People would have welcomed you as my mate but made it clear they didn't view you as leadership material."

"And instead?"

"Instead they threw you a parade. Made banners with your name on them. Their children held up signs welcoming you home."

He was right. The reception had been genuinely warm, not just polite.

"When would this ceremony happen?"

"I was thinking next week. Give everyone a chance to settle in, let the kids adjust to being here, then make it official."

"Next week?"

"Too soon?"

"Maybe. I don't know. This is all happening so fast."

Kael pulled me closer. "We can take as much time as you need. The ceremony is just a formality. You're already my Luna in every way that matters."

"What if I'm terrible at it? What if I make mistakes that hurt the pack?"

"Then you'll learn from the mistakes and do better next time. That's what leadership is."

"You make it sound simple."

"It's not simple. But it's not impossible either. And you won't be doing it alone."

"I'll have you."

"You'll have me, my parents, the pack council, advisors, friends. No one expects you to figure everything out by yourself."

That was reassuring. I'd been imagining having to make every decision solo, with the entire pack depending on me not to mess up their lives.

"What's the first thing I'll need to do as Luna?"

"Meet with the women's council. They handle most of the day-to-day pack social issues. Child care, education, elder care, conflict resolution between families."

"That sounds manageable."

"You'll be great at it. You understand what pack families need because you have a family of your own now."

"And Nova would grow up knowing she's the Alpha's daughter?"

"The future Alpha. When she's old enough, if she wants it, she'll be trained to lead this pack."

"What if she doesn't want it?"

"Then we'll figure out succession some other way. But either way, she'll grow up knowing her heritage and her options."

"And Asher?"

"Asher will have choices too. He could become Beta, or pack enforcer, or head trainer, or whatever role suits his abilities and interests."

"They'll both grow up here? Part of this pack?"

"If that's what you want."

I thought about Asher playing with the pack children today, how naturally he'd fit in. About Nova sleeping peacefully in the crib Kael had built, surrounded by family who already loved her.

"I want them to have what I had growing up," I decided. "A community. A place where they belong. People who will love them and support them no matter what."

"Then they'll have it."

"And I want them to have what I didn't have."

"What's that?"

"Parents who put their relationship first. Who show them what love looks like when it's healthy and strong."

"They'll have that too."

"Promise me something, Kael."

"Anything."

"Promise me that no matter how demanding the Alpha responsibilities get, we'll never let pack duties come before our marriage. We'll never let political pressure or outside opinions interfere with our relationship again."

"I promise. Family first, always."

"Even if the pack council disagrees with decisions we make?"

"Even then. We're a team now. What affects one of us affects both of us."

"And if someone tries to manipulate one of us against the other?"

"Then we talk to each other immediately. No secrets, no assuming the worst, no letting outsiders poison our relationship."

"Good. Because I can't go through that kind of heartbreak again."

"You won't have to. I learned my lesson about trusting other people's versions of events instead of trusting you."

"I learned some lessons too."

"Like what?"

"Like speaking up immediately when something bothers me, instead of letting resentment build. Like not being so afraid of conflict that I don't advocate for myself."

"We both learned things."

"We did. Maybe that's what we needed."

"Painful way to learn."

"But effective."

Nova stirred in her crib, making little sleep sounds that meant she was dreaming. We both went quiet, listening to our daughter's peaceful breathing.

"She's perfect," I whispered.

"She gets that from her mother."

"She gets her stubbornness from her father."

"She gets her beauty from both of us."

"She gets her strength from necessity."

"She gets her safety from family."

"She gets her future from coming home."

Kael kissed the top of my head. "Are you ready to be home? Really home?"

"I'm ready."

"Luna Lyra?"

"Luna Lyra."

It had a nice ring to it.