Luna. Chapter 36

(Lyra's POV)

I pushed through the panicking crowd, trying to reach the exit that led to the gardens. People were running in all directions, shouting and crying. The emergency lighting cast everything in harsh shadows.

"Lyra!"

I turned to see Kael pushing through the chaos toward me. His face was grim, his Alpha instincts clearly on high alert.

"Thank god," he said when he reached me. "Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine. But Kael, I know where the thief went."

"What?"

"I can feel it. The direction he took." I grabbed his arm. "We need to go after him."

"Absolutely not. We need to get you somewhere safe."

"The stone, Kael. They took the Goddess Stone. What if it's connected to my family's murders? What if this is all related?"

"Then we call the police and let them handle it."

"There's no time." The pull I felt was getting stronger, more urgent. "He's getting away."

Before Kael could stop me, I headed toward the garden exit. I could hear him cursing behind me, then his footsteps as he followed.

The gardens were dark and quiet, a stark contrast to the chaos inside. I paused, trying to orient myself.

"Which way?" Kael asked.

I pointed toward a path that led deeper into the landscaped area. "That way. Toward the lake."

"How can you possibly know that?"

"I don't know how I know. I just do."

We moved as quietly as possible along the gravel path. The moon provided some light, but shadows from large trees made visibility poor.

"Lyra," Kael said quietly as we walked. "About what happened between us—"

"Now is not the time."

"It might be the only time. If something happens tonight, if we don't both make it out of this, I need you to know something."

"Kael, stop."

"I love you. I've never stopped loving you. And I know I don't deserve forgiveness, but I need you to know that rejecting you was the biggest mistake of my life."

I stopped walking and turned to face him. "Do you really think this is the appropriate time for this conversation?"

"I think danger has a way of clarifying what's important."

"What's important is finding that stone and getting back to Magnus."

"Is it? Or is what's important finally admitting that you still have feelings for me too?"

The accusation hit too close to home. Yes, seeing him again had stirred up emotions I'd thought I'd buried. Yes, part of me still loved the man I'd married.

But love wasn't enough to overcome betrayal.

"Even if I do have feelings for you," I said quietly, "it doesn't matter. You chose someone else when I needed you most. You believed lies about me instead of trusting the woman you claimed to love."

"I know. And I'll regret that for the rest of my life."

"Good. You should regret it."

Kael stepped closer. In the moonlight, His face was the same as when I first saw him."But Lyra, we have a child together. Doesn't that mean anything?"

"It means our child deserves better than parents who can't trust each other."

"I trust you now."

"Now that you have proof I was telling the truth. But what happens the next time someone tries to controlled you? The next time trusting me becomes inconvenient?"

"It won't happen again."

"How can I believe that?"

"Because I've learned what losing you costs. Because I've spent every day since the rejection ceremony realizing what an idiot I was."

"Kael—"

"I'm not asking you to come back to me immediately. I'm just asking you not to close the door completely. Let me prove I can be the man you deserve."

I wanted to say no. I wanted to tell him it was too late, that too much had been broken to repair.

But looking at him in the moonlight, seeing the genuine pain in his eyes, I felt my resolve weakening.

"One chance," I heard myself say. "One opportunity to prove you've changed. But the moment you disappoint me, the moment you choose someone else's needs over mine and our child's, it's over forever."

"That's all I'm asking for."

Before I could second-guess the decision, Kael stepped closer and cupped my face in his hands.

"I love you," he said quietly. "I love you, and I'm going to spend every day proving it."

He leaned down to kiss me. For a moment, I almost let him. The familiar warmth of his touch, the scent that still felt like home, the memory of what we'd once had together.

But then I remembered the rejection ceremony. I remembered the pain of being publicly humiliated. I remembered watching him choose Seraphina over me again and again.

"No." I pushed him away firmly. "I said I'd give you a chance to prove yourself. I didn't say I'd make it easy."

Kael looked hurt but nodded. "I understand."

"Do you? Because this isn't going to be some romantic reconciliation. You threw away my trust, and earning it back is going to take time. A lot of time."

"I know."

"And I'm with Magnus now. I'm Luna of his pack, and I won't betray that commitment lightly."

"I know that too."

"Good. Then maybe we can focus on finding the stone instead of rehashing our relationship problems."

We continued along the path in tense silence. The pull I felt was stronger now, leading us toward what looked like a small building near the lake's edge.

"There," I whispered, pointing to a structure that might have been a boathouse or maintenance shed.

We crept closer, trying to stay hidden behind landscaping. Through a small window, I could see movement inside.

"How many?" Kael whispered.

"I can't tell."

"We should wait for backup."

"There might not be time." I studied the building. "What if they're planning to take the stone somewhere else? What if this was just a temporary stop?"

"Then we let them go and track them down later."

"Kael, that stone has been in my family for five hundred years. It's the only connection I have to my heritage."

"Your heritage isn't worth risking your life and our child's life."

"Our child should know where they come from."

Before Kael could argue further, I heard voices from inside the building.

"The boss wants it moved tonight," a man was saying. "No delays."

"What about the girl? The one who made it glow?"

"She's part of the package. Cassius wants her taken alive."

"And if she resists?"

"Then we make it look like an accident."

My blood ran cold. This wasn't just about the stone. They were planning to kidnap me.

"We're leaving," Kael said urgently. "Right now."

But as we turned to go back the way we'd come, figures emerged from the shadows around us. At least four men, all armed.They found out about us a long time ago.

"Luna Lyra," one of them said politely. "Please come with us quietly, and no one needs to get hurt."

Kael moved immediately to put himself between me and the nearest attacker. "Touch her and die."

The man smiled. "Alpha Blackwood. We were told you might be here. Don't worry, we have plans for you too."

Before anyone could move, more figures appeared from other directions. We were completely surrounded.

"Kael," I whispered, my hand moving to my belly protectively.

"Stay behind me," he said quietly. "No matter what happens."

But even as he said it, I knew we were outnumbered and outgunned. These weren't random thieves. They were professionals.

And they wanted me alive, which meant they had plans that were probably worse than death.