Luna. Chapter 57

(Kael's POV)

I watched Lyra walk away and felt something break inside my chest all over again. Four years of hoping for this moment, and I'd managed to make her hate me even more than before.

You're an idiot, my wolf observed.

I know.

She needed to hear about the real danger, not your pathetic attempts at reconciliation.

He was right. I'd come here to warn her, not to beg for forgiveness. But seeing her wolf for the first time, feeling the mate bond snap back into place like it had never been broken...

I'd lost my focus when I needed it most.

"Lyra, wait!" I called after her.

She stopped but didn't turn around. "What now?"

"There's something else. Something you need to know."

"More revelations about our magically restored bond?"

"About the people who are coming for Asher."

That got her attention. She spun around, eyes blazing. "What people?"

"A group called the Ashwalkers. They're not government like Morrison's people. They're something worse."

"What could be worse than government agents trying to weaponize children?"

"Ancient supernatural beings who think children like Asher are abominations that need to be eliminated."

The color drained from her face. "Eliminated?"

"They believe that mixing celestial wolf genetics with alpha bloodlines creates beings that are too powerful to be allowed to exist. They've been hunting hybrid children for centuries."

"How do you know this?"

"Because they contacted me three months ago. They wanted me to help them locate Asher."

"And?"

"And I told them to go to hell. But Lyra, they're not going to give up. They have resources, connections, abilities that make Morrison look like an amateur."

She was quiet for a long moment, processing the implications.

"Why are you telling me this now?"

"Because tomorrow's attack was supposed to be a distraction."

"What attack?"

My heart sank as I realized she didn't know. "The federal facility in Silver Creek. They're planning to hit it tomorrow night during the full moon, when supernatural abilities are strongest."

"That's where we house the children we've rescued."

"I know."

"How many Ashwalkers?"

"At least fifty. Maybe more."

"And their plan?"

"Create chaos at Silver Creek while a smaller team moves on Asher here."

Lyra's expression shifted from anger to cold calculation. I recognized that look. She was planning a war.

"How do you know their timeline?"

"Because I've been pretending to cooperate while gathering intelligence."

"For how long?"

"Six months."

"Six months you've been lying to them?"

"Six months I've been trying to find a way to protect my son without putting more people at risk."

"Our son."

"Our son," I agreed.

"And now?"

"Now I'm out of time for subtle approaches. They expect an answer from me by tomorrow night."

"What kind of answer?"

"Either I help them take Asher, or they go through me to get to him."

Lyra studied my face in the moonlight. "And your choice?"

"They'll have to go through me."

"That's not enough."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean we're not going to wait around for them to attack. We're going to hit them first."

This is why I loved her, my wolf observed. She doesn't just defend. She conquers.

"Lyra, these aren't ordinary enemies."

"Good. I'm not an ordinary Luna."

"You want to declare war on a supernatural organization that's existed for thousands of years?"

"I want to protect my son. If that means war, then we go to war."

I looked at her standing there in the moonlight, fierce and determined and absolutely breathtaking. This was the woman I'd been too stupid to trust. The woman who would burn down the world to protect the people she loved.

"What do you need from me?"

"Everything you know about their operations, their leadership, their weaknesses."

"And after that?"

"After that, we make them regret ever hearing our son's name."

For the first time in months, I felt something like hope. Not for forgiveness, not for reconciliation, but for the chance to fight beside her one more time.

To protect our family, whatever the cost.