Luna. Chapter 25

(Lyra's POV)

By afternoon, I was feeling better. The nausea had passed, and I was able to keep down some soup and crackers. But when I tried to get up and return to my normal routine, Sarah practically pushed me back into bed.

"Dr. Elena said rest, so you're going to rest," she said firmly.

"But the dinner prep—"

"Will happen without you for one day."

I felt useless lying in bed while everyone else worked. This wasn't who I wanted to be. I didn't want to be the fragile pregnant woman who couldn't handle stress.

A knock on my door interrupted my brooding. "Come in."

To my surprise, Maria entered carrying a steaming mug. The same Maria who'd questioned my worthiness as Luna just weeks ago.

"Ginger tea," she said, setting the mug on my bedside table. "My grandmother's recipe. Always helped with my morning sickness."

"Thank you." I was genuinely touched. "That's very kind."

"You looked rough this morning. Scared some of us." Maria sat on the edge of the chair Magnus had vacated. "Been pushing yourself pretty hard lately."

"I wanted to prove I belonged here."

"Think you already did that." Maria studied my face. "You know, when Alpha Magnus first brought you here, I thought you were trouble. Figured you'd be demanding and dramatic, expecting special treatment because of your situation."

"And now?"

"Now I think you work harder than any of us. Harder than you should, considering." She gestured toward my belly. "Been watching you these past weeks. You care about people. About doing things right."

I felt tears threaten again. Pregnancy hormones were making me emotional about everything.

"I just want to be a good Luna."

"You are. Don't need to work yourself into the hospital to prove it."

After Maria left, I sat sipping the ginger tea and thinking about how much my life had changed. A month ago, I'd been a rejected, exiled woman with nowhere to go. Now I had pack members bringing me homemade remedies and telling me I belonged here.

My phone rang. Dad's name on the screen.

"Hi, Dad."

"Lyra, sweetheart. Sarah called and said you were feeling unwell. How are you?"

"Better now. Just some pregnancy sickness. Dr. Elena thinks it's stress-related."

"That's not surprising. You've been through a lot."

"Dad, can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"When you lost Mom, how did you know when you were ready to move on?"

Silence on the other end of the line.

"I mean, you never remarried, but how did you know when you were ready to let go and build something new?"

"Is this about Magnus?"

"Maybe. He's been so good to me, Dad. So patient and kind. And today he offered to be the baby's father. To raise Kael's child as his own."

"And how does that make you feel?"

"Grateful. Confused. Guilty." I set down the tea mug. "Magnus deserves someone who can love him completely. But I don't know if I'll ever be able to give him that."

"Lyra, love isn't always what you see in movies. Sometimes love is choosing to care for someone every day. Sometimes it's partnership and respect and shared goals."

"But what about passion? What about that feeling of being incomplete without someone?"

"You mean what you had with Kael?"

"Yes."

"And where did that passionate love get you?"

The question hit like a slap. "That's not fair."

"Isn't it? Sweetheart, I'm not saying passion is bad. But maybe it's not the most important thing in a relationship. Maybe stability and kindness and genuine care matter more."

"You think I should choose Magnus."

"I think you should choose what's best for you and your baby. And from where I'm sitting, Magnus has been offering you things Kael never did."

"Like what?"

"Like believing you without question. Like protecting you without hesitation. Like putting your needs ahead of his own from day one."

Dad was right. Magnus had never once doubted me or made me feel like I had to prove my worth. He'd simply accepted me and offered protection and support.

"But what if Kael really has changed? What if he's learned from his mistakes?"

"Then he'll prove it through his actions over time. But Lyra, you can't build a future on what if's. You have to build it on what is."

After we hung up, I lay in bed thinking about Dad's words. What if's versus what is.

What if Kael had really learned his lesson? What if he never hurt me again? What if we could rebuild what we'd lost?

But what is was different.

What is: Magnus had been consistently supportive and protective. I felt safe and valued here at Mountain Cross. My baby would grow up with a father figure who'd chosen to love them.

My phone buzzed with a text from Kael: "I keep thinking about that first night you made me coffee. Do you remember? It was terrible, but I drank every drop because you'd made it for me."

I remembered. I'd been so nervous, so eager to please him. So desperate to be a good wife.

"I remember," I texted back.

"I took you for granted. All of it. Your effort, your love, your attempts to make me happy. I'm sorry."

"I know you are."

"Do you think there's any chance for us? Any way we could try again?"

I stared at the message for a long time. Three months ago, getting that text would have made me cry with relief. Now it just made me tired.

"I don't know," I finally typed. "I need time to figure out what I want."

"I'll wait. However long it takes."

"Don't wait for me, Kael. Live your life. Fix whatever needs fixing in yourself. Maybe someday we can be friends for the baby's sake."

"Friends?"

"It's better than enemies."

"I want more than friendship."

"I know. But right now, friendship is only I can offer."