Luna. Chapter 78

(Lyra's POV)

Felix and Sally appeared at my front door Wednesday afternoon carrying a casserole dish and matching expressions of concern.

"We heard about Victor," Sally said, pulling me into a warm hug that smelled like lavender and fresh bread. "How is he?"

"Better. The doctors think it was stress-related, but they're keeping him overnight for observation."

Felix studied my face with the sharp attention of someone who'd known me since childhood. "There's more to it than stress."

I led them into the living room, grateful for friendly faces after the previous night's supernatural drama. "How do you always know when I'm not telling the whole truth?"

"Because we've been friends for fifteen years, and you get this specific look when you're protecting people from information they might not want to hear."

Sally set the casserole on the coffee table and sat beside me on the couch. "What really happened?"

I told them everything. The cursed glasses, Marcus Nova's trapped soul, the spiritual contamination that had been affecting our family for weeks. By the time I finished, both of them looked appropriately horrified.

"Jesus, Lyra," Felix breathed. "Your four-year-old has been living with an angry ghost trying to possess him?"

"Essentially, yes."

"And you think Seraphina was behind placing the glasses in his room?"

"Someone was. Someone with enough supernatural knowledge to handle cursed artifacts safely."

Sally leaned forward, her expression thoughtful. "There might be another option."

"What do you mean?"

"For dealing with the person targeting your family. Felix and I have been talking, and we think you should consider using your celestial wolf abilities."

I stared at her. "My what now?"

"Your celestial wolf powers," Felix said like it was obvious. "The connection to lunar energy, the ability to channel supernatural force through your wolf form. That's how celestial wolves traditionally dealt with magical threats."

"I don't know how to do any of that."

"But you could learn. With the right guidance, you could become powerful enough to protect your family from anyone who tries to hurt them."

The idea was both tempting and terrifying. "Where would I even start?"

"There are books," Sally said. "Ancient texts about celestial wolf practices, rituals for connecting with lunar energy, ways to amplify your natural abilities."

"Books that are probably locked away in private collections or Council archives."

"Not all of them." Felix pulled out his phone, scrolling through something. "I've been researching your bloodline since your transformation. There are rumors about a complete guide to celestial wolf abilities that's supposedly hidden somewhere in the city."

"Hidden where?"

"That's the problem. The location changes depending on who you ask. Some say it's in the basement of the old Moonlight Pack building. Others think it's been moved to a private collector."

Sally's eyes lit up. "What if we could find it? What if we could teach you how to use your abilities properly?"

I thought about the helpless feeling I'd had watching Victor collapse, knowing that cursed objects were affecting my family and I couldn't do anything to stop it.

"Even if we found this book, learning to use celestial wolf powers would take time. Months, maybe years."

"Maybe not," Felix said. "From what I've read, celestial wolves who are properly connected to their lunar source can learn basic protective abilities in a matter of weeks."

"Basic protective abilities like what?"

"Spiritual cleansing, energy barriers, the ability to identify and neutralize cursed objects." Sally counted on her fingers. "Exactly the kind of powers that would help you protect Asher and Victor from supernatural threats."

It sounded too good to be true. "Why hasn't anyone mentioned this before? Why didn't Derek or Elena or any of the other werewolves in my life tell me I could learn to do these things?"

"Because most werewolves don't know much about celestial wolf abilities," Felix explained. "Your bloodline has been dormant for so long that the knowledge was almost lost."

"Almost."

"But not completely. And with everything that's been happening to your family, maybe it's time to reclaim that knowledge."

I looked at my two best friends, seeing the hope and determination in their faces. They wanted to help me become powerful enough to protect the people I loved. The idea was seductive.

"What would I have to do?"

"First, we find the book. Then we start with the basics—connecting with your wolf's lunar energy source, learning to sense supernatural threats, basic protective rituals."

"And if it doesn't work?"

"Then we're no worse off than we are now," Sally said practically. "But if it does work, you'll never have to feel helpless again when someone threatens your family."

That decided it. I was tired of being reactive, tired of waiting for the next attack, tired of relying on other people to solve problems that were specifically targeting my son.

"Okay," I said. "Let's find this book."

Felix grinned. "I was hoping you'd say that. Because I already have some ideas about where to start looking."

"Where?"

"With the one person who might know more about celestial wolf history than anyone else in the city."

"Who?"

"Alpha Nova. If anyone knows where ancient werewolf texts are hidden, it's him."

I thought about the elderly Alpha who'd helped us understand the cursed glasses. He'd seemed knowledgeable about supernatural history, and he'd been genuinely concerned about Asher's safety.

"You think he'd help us?"

"I think he'd be thrilled to help a celestial wolf reclaim her heritage," Sally said. "Especially if it means protecting a psychically gifted child from future attacks."

It felt like a long shot, but it was the first proactive plan I'd had in weeks. Instead of just reacting to threats, we'd be working to prevent them.

"When do we start?"

"How about now?" Felix was already reaching for his car keys. "Alpha Nova said to call if you needed anything else. I'd say learning to protect your family with celestial wolf powers qualifies."

Twenty minutes later, we were on our way to meet with someone who might hold the key to unlocking abilities I'd never known I possessed.

For the first time in weeks, I felt hopeful instead of afraid.