Luna. Chapter 54

(Lyra's POV)

"Happy birthday, Mama!" Asher bounced into my room at exactly sunrise, carrying a wrapped package that was clearly too heavy for him to manage alone.

"Did you wrap this yourself?" I asked, noting the careful but crooked tape job.

"Uncle Derek helped with the tape. But I picked it out all by myself." His excitement was infectious as I unwrapped what appeared to be a small robot. "I built her for you!"

"You built this?"

"Her name is Luna. She's going to help you when your wolf comes. She knows how to make tea and she can play music when you're sad and she never breaks." Asher demonstrated by pressing a small button. The robot's eyes lit up and she played a soft lullaby.

"Baby, this is incredible. How did you learn to build something like this?"

"The parts wanted to be together. I just helped them remember how." He climbed onto my bed. "Press the blue button, Mama."

When I pressed it, Luna projected a holographic image of a beautiful silver wolf running through moonlight.

"That's what your wolf looks like," Asher said proudly. "I asked her to show me so I could program Luna properly."

I stared at the projection, feeling something deep in my chest respond to the image.

"She's beautiful."

"She loves you already."

Before I could ask how he knew that, Derek knocked on the door.

"Sorry to interrupt the birthday celebration, but Victor's here. He says it's important."

I found my father in the kitchen, looking more serious than usual.

"Dad? What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. Something's very right." Victor held up a small vial of clear liquid. "Someone sent this to my house this morning. With instructions specifically for you."

"What is it?"

"The cure for the poison that's been slowly killing me."

My heart stopped. "What?"

"The heart condition I've had for the past five years? It wasn't natural. Someone's been poisoning me, very slowly. And now someone else has sent the antidote."

"Who sent it?"

"I don't know. The package was unsigned, no return address. But the note said it was a birthday gift for my daughter." Victor smiled. "Someone out there is looking out for our family."

"But who would even know about the poisoning?"

"Someone who's been watching us for a long time."

I thought about that as we prepared for the birthday party. Someone had been secretly monitoring our family, had known about Victor's condition, and had chosen today to reveal themselves as an ally.

The question was why.

And whether this mysterious protector would reveal themselves tonight when my wolf finally emerged.