Luna. Chapter 37

(Lyra's POV)

The armed men started closing in on us. I could see at least six now, maybe more hidden in the shadows. They moved like trained soldiers, coordinated and confident.

"This doesn't have to be difficult," the leader said. "Come quietly, and we'll ensure your baby isn't harmed."

"Like hell," Kael growled, his Alpha power radiating outward.

But even his considerable presence couldn't intimidate men who were clearly prepared for werewolf opponents. They kept their distance, weapons trained on us.

"Lyra," Kael said quietly, "when I give the word, run toward the lake. Don't look back."

"I'm not leaving you."

"You're not staying to watch me die either."

Before the men could get any closer, I made a decision that probably saved both our lives.

I screamed.

Not a cry for help, but a full-throated, terror-filled scream that echoed across the water and probably carried all the way back to the packhouse.

"Shut her up," the leader snapped.

One of the men stepped forward, raising his weapon to strike me. Kael intercepted him with a roar that shook the trees, his wolf partially emerging. The sound of bone breaking was audible as he twisted the attacker's arm.

Chaos erupted. Men shouted orders, weapons fired, and Kael fought like a man possessed. But there were too many of them.

I ran.

Not toward the lake as Kael had suggested, but toward the small building where I'd heard them talking about the stone. If I was going to be captured anyway, I wanted to know what this was really about.

The door was unlocked. Inside, I found a single man packing the Goddess Stone into a metal case. He looked up in surprise when I burst in.

"You're early," he said. "Though I suppose it doesn't matter."

"Why do you want the stone?"

"The stone?" He laughed. "Lady, the stone is just bait. We want you."

"For what?"

"For what you can do. What you can become." He closed the case and turned to face me fully. "General Cassius has very specific plans for you."

"What kind of plans?"

"The kind that involve laboratories and genetic testing and finding out just how special the Sebastian bloodline really is."

My stomach turned. "You want to experiment on me."

"On you, on your baby, on any future children you might have." He shrugged like we were discussing the weather. "Nothing personal. Just science."

"You're insane."

"I'm practical. Your bloodline has abilities that could revolutionize military applications. We're just going to find out how to replicate them."

Outside, the sounds of fighting were getting louder. More voices, more weapons. But also howls, which meant other wolves had arrived.

"Sounds like your boyfriend is in trouble," the man said. "Maybe you should go help him."

"Maybe I should."

I grabbed the nearest object I could find—a heavy flashlight from a shelf—and swung it at his head with all the strength I could muster.

He went down hard, blood streaming from his temple. I grabbed the metal case containing the stone and ran back outside.

The scene that greeted me was like something from a war movie. Men in dark clothing were engaged in fierce combat with wolves who had partially shifted. I could see Kael, still in human form but fighting with inhuman strength and speed.

And coming up from the direction of the packhouse were more figures. Magnus, running at full speed with several Mountain Cross warriors behind him. Derek and what looked like half of Moonlight Pack behind them.

The attackers realized they were outnumbered and started retreating toward the lake.

"Fall back!" their leader shouted. "Extraction point beta!"

"The stone!" another voice called. "Where's the stone?"

I looked down at the metal case in my hands. Without really thinking about it, I opened the latch.

The moment the Goddess Stone was exposed to air, it blazed with light again. Not just bright, but hot. The metal case became too hot to hold, and I dropped it on the ground.

The stone rolled out, pulsing with blue and silver fire.

"Isabella," it whispered, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Protect us."

I knelt and reached for it, ignoring the heat. The moment my fingers made contact, everything changed.

Power flooded through me. Not painful, but overwhelming. I could suddenly sense every person in the area, friend and foe. I could feel their emotions, their intentions, their level of threat.

And I could do something about it.

"Stop," I said, my voice carrying far beyond its normal range.

The attackers froze mid-retreat. Not voluntarily, but as if their bodies were no longer under their control.

"Drop your weapons."

Metal clattered to the ground as guns and knives fell from paralyzed hands.

"Walk into the lake. Keep walking until you can't walk anymore."

"Lyra, no!" Derek's voice cut through whatever I was doing. "Don't make them drown!"

The spell, or whatever it was, broke. The attackers regained control of their bodies and immediately started running again.

But they were no longer our biggest problem.

I was still holding the Goddess Stone, and it was still blazing with light. The power I'd felt was still flowing through me, making me feel like I could reshape reality with a thought.

"Lyra." Kael's voice was cautious, concerned. "Put the stone down."

"I can't." I looked at my hands. The stone seemed to have fused with my skin. "It won't let go."

"Yes, it will. You just need to choose to release it."

"But what if they come back? What if there are more of them?"

"Then we'll deal with them without supernatural intervention."

Magnus approached slowly, his hands raised in a peaceful gesture. "Lyra, you're scaring people. Look around."

I did look around. Derek and his pack members were backing away from me. Even Magnus looked uncertain.

The only person who didn't seem afraid was Kael. He walked toward me steadily, ignoring the power radiating from the stone.

"Whatever you're feeling right now, whatever the stone is offering you, it's not worth losing yourself," he said gently.

"I'm not losing myself. I'm becoming what I was meant to be."

"And what's that?"

"Powerful. Strong enough to protect the people I love."

"You don't need supernatural power to do that. You just need to make smart choices and trust the people who care about you."

"Like trusting you?"

The question hung in the air between us. Kael stopped walking, pain flashing across his features.

"I failed you before. I know that. But Lyra, this isn't the answer. Power without wisdom is just destruction waiting to happen."

I looked down at the stone in my hands. It was beautiful, seductive, offering me the ability to solve all my problems with a thought.

But Kael was right. Power like this would change me. Maybe into something I wouldn't recognize.

"How do I let go?"

"You choose to. Just like you chose to pick it up."

I closed my eyes and imagined releasing the stone. Imagined the power flowing out of me and back into the ancient relic.

It fought me. The stone wanted to stay bonded, wanted to merge completely. But eventually, my will proved stronger.

The light faded. The heat dissipated. The stone became just a stone again, rolling away from my outstretched hands.

Derek immediately retrieved it, wrapping it carefully in cloth.

"Are you okay?" Magnus asked, helping me to my feet.

"I think so." But I wasn't sure. I could still feel traces of the power, like echoes in my mind. "What was that?"

"That," Derek said quietly, "was why your family was targeted twenty years ago. That's why you were hidden away and presumed dead."

"Because I can do that?"

"Because your bloodline can do that. And because there are people who would kill to control that ability."

"Like General Cassius."

"Yes. Like General Cassius."

I looked around at the faces surrounding me. My biological brother Derek. Magnus, who'd protected me without knowing what I really was. Kael, who'd just talked me down from wielding power that could have corrupted me completely.

"What happens now?"

"Now," Derek said, "we need to talk. About your past, your abilities, and the people who are going to keep coming after you."

"More attacks?"

"There will always be more attacks. Power like yours doesn't go unnoticed."

I placed my hand on my belly, feeling my baby move restlessly. "What about my child?"

"Your child will likely have even stronger abilities than you do." Derek's expression was grim. "Which means they'll be an even bigger target."

The weight of everything crashed down on me all at once. I wasn't just Lyra anymore, the rejected mate who'd found a new home. I was Isabella Sebastian, heir to a bloodline that attracted deadly attention.

And my child would inherit that burden.