Luna. Chapter 41

(Lyra's POV)

I didn't make it far before I heard footsteps behind me—multiple sets, moving fast and coordinated. They'd been waiting for me to come after the thieves.

"Surround her," a voice called out. "Remember, we need her alive."

I spun around to see at least six men emerging from the shadows around the lake shore. They moved like military professionals, armed and ready.

This wasn't opportunistic theft. This was a coordinated operation to capture me.

"Stay back!" I called out, hoping my voice would carry to the packhouse. "I'm not going anywhere with you!"

"Actually, you are," the team leader said calmly. "We have orders to bring you in, Miss Sebastian. One way or another."

I grabbed the first thing I could reach—a smooth stone from the lake shore—and hurled it at the nearest attacker. My aim was better than expected, catching him in the forehead and dropping him immediately.

"She's got good reflexes," one of them commented. "Watch yourselves."

They started closing in from multiple directions. I threw more stones, but there were too many of them.

"Enough," the leader said, raising what looked like a tranquilizer gun. "We tried to do this the easy way."

Before he could fire, a low growl echoed across the water. Then another. And another.

The attackers spun around, suddenly realizing they weren't alone anymore.

Kael emerged from the tree line in full Alpha mode, his presence radiating deadly intent. Behind him were Magnus and several other wolves, all partially shifted and ready for violence.

"Step away from her," Kael said, his voice carrying absolute authority. "Last warning."

"Alpha Blackwood," the team leader acknowledged. "We have no quarrel with you. Our orders are specific to the target."

"Your orders just got cancelled."

"I'm afraid not."

What happened next wasn't a fight—it was a massacre.

Kael moved with inhuman speed and precision, disarming and incapacitating attackers before they could react. His movements were fluid, economical, and absolutely brutal.

I'd seen him fight before, but this was different. This was Kael as a predator, designed by nature to kill efficiently and without hesitation.

The entire encounter lasted maybe thirty seconds.

When it was over, all six attackers were down. Not dead, but definitely not getting up anytime soon.

Kael straightened slowly, blood on his hands and clothes, his chest heaving with exertion.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, his eyes scanning me for injuries.

"No. I'm okay." But I was shaking from the adrenaline. "How did you know where to find me?"

"We saw you leave the packhouse. When we heard the commotion by the lake..." Kael moved closer, his protective instincts clearly still engaged. "These men aren't random thieves."

"I know. They were waiting for me specifically."

Magnus appeared beside us, also bloody from the fight. "Professional military contractors. The same people who attacked last night."

"But how did they know I'd come after the stone?"

"Because they know you," Kael said grimly. "They've been studying you, learning your patterns, your instincts."

"Or they have someone on the inside," Magnus added. "Someone who knows how the Sebastian abilities work."

"Speaking of abilities," Kael looked at me with concern, "what did you do to the lake? We felt the disturbance from the packhouse."

"I tried to stop their boat by making the water rough."

"And?"

"It worked for a minute. Then something cut off my connection completely."

Kael and Magnus exchanged glances. "Someone with similar abilities," Magnus realized.

"That's what Sebastian said."

"Where is Alpha Sebastian now?" Kael asked.

"Back at the packhouse, probably organizing search teams."

Before anyone could respond, we heard the sound of more vehicles approaching. But these weren't government agents or thieves.

Derek arrived with half of Moonlight Pack, all armed and looking for a fight. Sebastian was with them, his face pale with worry.

"Isabella!" He ran toward me, checking for injuries. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine. Just shaken up."

"These attackers," Derek said, examining the unconscious men, "they're the same ones from last night. Same equipment, same military precision."

"Which means whoever hired them isn't giving up," Magnus said.

"And they're getting more aggressive," Kael added. "First they tried stealth. Now they're using direct confrontation."

"What's their next move?" I asked.

"Escalation," Sebastian said grimly. "If they can't take you quietly, they'll use force."

"More force than this?"

"Much more."

As if summoned by his words, the sound of helicopters filled the air again. But this time, they weren't landing.

They were circling.

"Surveillance," Derek identified. "They're watching us."

"Counting our numbers," Magnus added.

"Planning their next move," Kael finished.

I looked around at all the people who were risking their safety to protect me. Good people who could be hurt or killed because of what I represented.

"Maybe I should just go with them," I said quietly.

"Absolutely not," four voices said in unison.

"But if they keep escalating, people are going to get hurt. People I care about."

"People you care about are going to fight for you whether you want them to or not," Kael said firmly. "That's what family does."

"Family?"

"Pack family. Blood family. The family you choose." Kael moved closer. "You're not facing this alone, Lyra. Not anymore."

But even as he said it, I could feel the weight of the stolen Goddess Stone pulling at me from somewhere across the lake. The thieves had succeeded in their primary objective.

Now they had both the stone and knowledge of my enhanced abilities.

Whatever came next was going to be much worse than anything we'd faced so far.