Luna. Chapter 43

(Kael's POV)

The revelation hit me like a physical blow. Celestial wolf. The words echoed in my mind as I stared at the file Harrison had given us.

"What does that mean exactly?" I asked, though part of me already knew the answer would change everything.

"It means Lyra's bloodline is even rarer than we thought," Sebastian explained. "Celestial wolves don't follow normal werewolf physiology. Their transformation cycles are different."

"Different how?"

"They can experience delayed shifting. Sometimes their wolf doesn't emerge until their mid-twenties." Sebastian looked directly at me. "And during the pre-transformation period, their bodies go through hormonal changes that can mimic pregnancy symptoms."

My blood went cold. "You're saying she might have actually been pregnant?"

"I'm saying her body was preparing for transformation in ways that would have been identical to early pregnancy. Morning sickness, fatigue, hormonal fluctuations, even showing positive on standard pregnancy tests."

"But the medical records—"

"Would have shown exactly what they showed. Because at that stage, there wouldn't have been a difference."

I sank into the nearest chair, my legs suddenly unable to support me. If Lyra had been going through celestial wolf transformation, if her symptoms had been real...

"I rejected her for telling the truth."

"You rejected her because someone manipulated the situation to make you doubt what you were seeing," Derek corrected. "But yes, she was telling the truth."

"The baby she's carrying now?"

"Is definitely real. But Kael, if she's a celestial wolf, that child will be incredibly powerful. More than even she realizes."

I put my head in my hands, the full weight of what I'd done crashing down on me. I hadn't just rejected Lyra based on lies. I'd rejected her when she'd needed me most, when her body was going through something she didn't understand.

"She tried to tell me," I whispered. "So many times, she tried to explain what was happening. And I wouldn't listen."

"You couldn't listen," Sebastian said gently. "Seraphina made sure of that."

"That's not an excuse."

"No, it's not. But it's context."

I looked up at him, this man whose daughter I'd thrown away. "How do you not hate me?"

"Because hating you won't bring her back. And because I think you're the only one who loves her as much as I do."

The words hit harder than any accusation could have. Because he was right. I did love Lyra. I'd never stopped loving her.

"She's with Magnus now."

"Is she? Or is she trying to build a life that makes sense when nothing else does?"

Before I could answer, my phone buzzed with an urgent message from Adrian: "Pack meeting in twenty minutes. Emergency situation."

I stood up slowly, feeling like I'd aged years in the past hour. "I have to go. Pack business."

"What will you tell them?"

"The truth. About Seraphina's lies. About the manipulation. About how badly I failed as an Alpha."

"And about Lyra?"

I looked out at the lake where I'd first seen her again, radiant in that green dress. "I'll tell them I lost the most important person in my life because I was too proud to trust her completely."

"That's a good start."

"Is it enough?"

"For your pack? Yes. For Lyra?" Sebastian shrugged. "That depends on what you do next."

"What can I do? She's made her choice. She's building a life without me."

"Is she? Or is she waiting for you to prove you've become the man she thought she married?"

I wanted to believe him. I wanted to think there was still a chance to fix what I'd broken.

But the memory of her face during the rejection ceremony, the pain in her eyes when I'd accused her of lying, the way she'd walked away without looking back...

"I don't think she'll ever trust me again."

"Then you'll have to earn it back. Day by day, choice by choice, until she believes you've changed."

"And if she doesn't?"

"Then you'll spend the rest of your life knowing you tried. That has to be better than spending it knowing you gave up."

I thought about that as I drove back to Iron Claw territory. Better to try and fail than never try at all.

The pack meeting was tense. Word had spread about the federal investigation, about Lyra's abilities, about the supernatural politics that were suddenly affecting all of us.

"Is it true?" Elena asked. "About Luna Lyra being some kind of super-wolf?"

"It's true that she has abilities beyond normal werewolf traits," I confirmed. "It's also true that people want to exploit those abilities."

"What does that mean for us?"

"It means we protect her. Whatever it costs."

"Even though she's not our Luna anymore?"

The question came from Marcus, one of the older pack members. He wasn't being cruel, just practical.

"She's carrying my child," I said simply. "That makes her family. And we protect family."

"What about the federal agents? What if they come here?"

"Then we deal with them legally. But if they threaten Lyra or the baby, we deal with them permanently."

The pack murmured agreement. Whatever personal feelings they had about my failed marriage, they understood family loyalty.

"There's something else," I continued. "I've learned that Seraphina wasn't acting alone. She was working with outside forces to destabilize our pack and target Lyra specifically."

"What kind of outside forces?"

"The kind that see supernatural abilities as weapons to be controlled."

I explained everything we'd discovered. The manipulation, the false medical records, the coordinated attacks on Moonlight Pack.

"So Luna Lyra was telling the truth all along?" Maria asked quietly.

"Yes. About everything."

"And you rejected her anyway."

There it was. The judgment I deserved.

"I rejected her because I was manipulated into doubting her. But that doesn't excuse my failure to trust her completely." I looked around at the faces of people I'd led for years. "I failed her. I failed you. I failed as an Alpha."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that if this pack votes no confidence in my leadership, I'll understand."

The silence that followed was deafening. These people had followed me through good times and bad. They deserved a leader who wouldn't make catastrophic personal decisions that affected everyone.

"Alpha," Elena spoke up finally. "We've all made mistakes. The question is what you do about them."

"I intend to spend every day making amends."

"To Luna Lyra?"

"To everyone I've hurt through my poor judgment."

The pack voted. Unanimously to keep me as Alpha, with the understanding that major decisions would require council approval until I proved my judgment had improved.

It was more than I deserved.

That night, I stood in my empty house thinking about Lyra. About the celestial wolf transformation she was probably going through without understanding what was happening to her body.

About the child she was carrying who would inherit abilities no one fully understood.

About the love I'd thrown away because I'd been too scared to be vulnerable.

My phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number: "She still loves you. But love isn't enough anymore. She needs to know you've changed. -A friend"

I stared at the message until it disappeared, then sat down to write a letter I might never send.

"Lyra, I know I have no right to contact you. But I need you to know that I understand now what I put you through. The celestial wolf transformation, the pregnancy symptoms, the way I should have protected you instead of doubting you. I failed you in every way that mattered. If you never forgive me, I understand. But our child deserves to know they were wanted by both parents. And you deserve to know that losing you was the worst mistake of my life. I love you. I will always love you. And I will spend every day proving I've become worthy of that love, whether you ever give me another chance or not."

I sealed the letter and put it in my desk drawer.

Someday, when the time was right, maybe I'd find the courage to send it.