Luna. Chapter 44

(Kael's POV)

The Silver Club wasn't the kind of place most people knew existed. Hidden in plain sight as an upscale private members' club, it was actually one of the most sophisticated supernatural intelligence networks in North America.

I'd called in every favor I had to get access.

"Alpha Blackwood." The receptionist's smile was professional but cold. "Mr. Chen is waiting for you in the secure conference room."

Victor Chen had been running supernatural intelligence operations for thirty years. If anyone could help me track down the people targeting Lyra, it was him.

"Kael." He stood when I entered, extending his hand. "I was sorry to hear about your... domestic situation."

"That's actually why I'm here."

"I assumed as much. Please, sit."

The conference room was windowless and soundproof, designed for conversations that couldn't be overheard or recorded.

"I need to know who's been targeting my... ex-wife. And why."

Chen opened a thick file on the table between us. "Isabella Sebastian. Also known as Lyra Blackwood. Celestial wolf bloodline with unprecedented ability levels."

"You already know about her?"

"We've been tracking the situation since the Moonlight Pack exhibition. The federal interest, the stolen artifacts, the supernatural demonstrations." Chen's expression was grim. "This isn't just about one woman, Kael. This is about a new arms race."

"Arms race?"

"Supernatural abilities as military weapons. Whoever controls Isabella Sebastian controls power that could shift the balance of world governments."

I felt sick. "She's not a weapon. She's a pregnant woman who just wants to live in peace."

"Unfortunately, powerful people don't see it that way."

Chen spread photographs across the table. Government officials, military contractors, foreign agents. All connected to a web of interest in Lyra's abilities.

"General Cassius is small-time compared to some of these players. We're talking about international conspiracies, black ops programs, research facilities that officially don't exist."

"What do they want?"

"To study her. To replicate her abilities. To breed more like her." Chen's voice was matter-of-fact, clinical. "Your child will be even more valuable to them than she is."

"Over my dead body."

"That might be exactly what they're planning. Dead fathers can't protect their children."

I stared at the photographs, memorizing faces. "What can you tell me about their operations?"

"Coordinated, well-funded, politically protected. They've been planning this for years."

"Years?"

"Ever since they lost track of her five years ago. When she resurfaced as your wife, they started positioning assets to get close to her."

"Seraphina."

"Seraphina was just one asset. They've had people watching both your packs, Isabella's adoptive family, anyone connected to her."

"Who's running it?"

Chen pulled out another photograph. A man in his fifties with cold eyes and a politician's smile. "Director James Morrison. Officially, he runs a Department of Defense research division. Unofficially, he's been building a supernatural weapons program for over a decade."

"Where is he?"

"That's the wrong question, Kael."

"What's the right question?"

"When is he planning his next move? Because all our intelligence suggests he's done with subtle approaches."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning he's going to take her by force. Soon."

I stood up, pacing to the far wall. "What kind of timeline are we looking at?"

"Days, not weeks. Morrison has been under pressure from his superiors to show results. The failed attempts to capture Isabella have made him look incompetent."

"So he's getting desperate."

"Desperate people make dangerous decisions."

Chen closed the file and stood up. "There's something else you need to know."

"What?"

"Morrison doesn't just want Isabella. He wants her child. Specifically, he wants to be present for the birth so he can take tissue samples immediately."

My wolf raged against the cage of my human form. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying they're going to try to take her before the baby is born. They want controlled conditions for the delivery."

"How long does she have?"

"Based on what we know about her pregnancy timeline? Maybe two weeks."

I thought about Lyra, probably feeling safe at Moonlight Pack, unaware that powerful forces were closing in on her.

"I need everything you have on Morrison's operation. Personnel files, facility locations, operational plans."

"That information doesn't come free."

"Name your price."

"Iron Claw Pack's cooperation with Silver Club intelligence operations for the next five years."

It was expensive, but not as expensive as losing Lyra and our child.

"Deal."

Chen produced a secure tablet loaded with classified information. "This doesn't leave the building. You have four hours to review everything."

I spent those four hours memorizing details that made me physically sick. Medical research protocols that treated supernatural beings like laboratory animals. Breeding programs designed to create enhanced soldiers. Detention facilities where people like Lyra disappeared forever.

"There's one more thing," Chen said as I prepared to leave. "Morrison has a personal interest in this case."

"What kind of personal interest?"

"His daughter was killed by a rogue supernatural five years ago. He blames all of us for not controlling our own people."

"So this is revenge?"

"This is a man who's convinced himself that enslaving supernatural beings will prevent future tragedies. He genuinely believes he's saving lives."

"The most dangerous kind of enemy."

"Exactly. He won't be reasoned with, bought off, or scared away. He'll keep coming until he gets what he wants or until he's stopped permanently."

As I left the Silver Club, my head was spinning with information and my heart was heavy with dread. Lyra was in more danger than any of us had realized.

And I was running out of time to protect her.

I called Magnus on the drive back to Iron Claw territory.

"We need to talk," I said when he answered. "About the people hunting Lyra."

"What have you found?"

"More than you want to know. How quickly can you get to neutral territory?"

"Give me two hours."

"Bring Sebastian and Derek. They need to hear this too."

"That bad?"

"Worse."

After I hung up, I called Adrian. "Emergency security meeting in one hour. Full council."

"What's happening?"

"War. The kind where innocent people disappear forever if we lose."

I thought about the letter in my desk drawer, the words I'd written to Lyra that she might never read.

If Morrison succeeded, if they took her and our child, she'd never know how sorry I was. She'd never know how much I loved her.

I pressed harder on the accelerator. Time was running out, and I had to make sure that when they came for her, we were ready to stop them.

Even if it cost me everything.