Chapter 9
Lyrian
The memories always came back stronger during the full moon. Tonight, lying in bed with Zoren's protective arm draped over my growing belly, I couldn't stop my mind from drifting to that night thirteen years ago. The night everything changed. I didn't want to remember it, but it wasn't up to me.
I was only eleven when they came for us.
"Run, Lyrian!" My grandmother's voice still echoes in my nightmares. "Don't look back, don't stop, don't let them find you!"
The scent of burning sage and iron wafted in the air as our wards collapsed one by one. I remember the way the moonlight fractured through the stained-glass windows of our home, casting prismatic shadows across the ancient wooden floors. The same floors where I'd learned my first spells, where my grandmother had taught me about our heritage.
I had so many good memories of that place, but then it was gone.
"But why are they doing this?" I had asked her once, weeks before that terrible night. "Why do they hate us?"
She had pulled me close, her silver hair glowing in the candlelight. "They don't hate us, little moon. They fear us. Moon-blessed omegas have always been feared for their power. We can channel magic in ways others can't comprehend. We can birth children of extraordinary potential. And fear... fear makes people do terrible things. It's always been part of history."
I hadn't understood then. I was too young, too innocent. But I understood now, especially as I felt my own children's magic pulse within me.
That night, as hunters broke through our final defenses, my grandmother performed her last act of protection. She wasn't going to let them take me. Not that time.
"Remember who you are," she whispered, pressing her moonstone pendant into my palm. "You come from a line of healers and protectors, not the monsters they claim we are. Your mother knew this. Your father died defending this truth. You need to honor their memory."
The memory of her last spell still burns in my mind—pure lunar energy, brighter than I'd ever seen, creating a barrier between me and our attackers. I watched through tears as she channeled every ounce of her power into keeping them back, giving me time to escape.
"Grandma!" I screamed as the light engulfed her. Everything was happening too fast, and I couldn't do anything to stop it.
I hated myself for being that way. I hated myself for being weak.
"Live, my darling," her voice carried on the wind. "Live and remember: your power is a gift, not a curse. They'll try to tell you otherwise, but never believe them."
Those were the last words I ever heard from her.
I ran until my legs gave out, clutching her pendant, my only connection to a family I'd lost too soon. The moon guided me through forests and cities, keeping me hidden from those who would cage or kill me for what I was. Its light was warm and comforting. It was one of the few things that had kept me going and moving forward.
For years, I convinced myself that if I just kept running, if I stayed small and invisible, I could escape my heritage. I was wrong, of course. You can't outrun who you are. I should've known that. Perhaps, by being aware of that, things would have been different.
Zoren stirred beside me, his alpha instincts probably sensing my distress. He was going to ask me what I was thinking about.
"What's wrong?" He murmured, pulling me closer.
I placed my hand over his where it rested on my stomach. "Just remembering something," I whispered. The babies' magic pulsed in response to my emotions, making me smile despite the painful memories. They were making me feel better in my moment of distress.
"Tell me," he encouraged, and I didn't need to be convinced.
"Did I ever tell you about the night I lost my grandmother?" My voice quivered. I had never told anyone about this, not even Mae. I thought I would never feel the need to tell anyone about it, but here I was, my mind changed about that.
His grip tightened, and I knew what he was telling me by doing that. He was reassuring me. "No, but I'm here now. Tell me everything."
So, I did. I told him about growing up in our hidden home, learning the old ways of lunar magic. About my parents' deaths when I was too young to remember them—my father killed protecting us from hunters, my mother dying in childbirth after channeling too much power to save me. That was how I ended up with my grandmother.
"My grandmother used to say I had my mother's gift for healing and my father's stubborn heart," I said, touching the moonstone pendant I still wore. "She taught me everything—how to hide my power, how to heal, how to survive. But she was somewhat vague when telling me about why we were hunted."
She didn't share all the details. She wanted to spare me the bitter truth, but that was a mistake. I would have been better off knowing everything.
Zoren's hand moved to my neck, thumb brushing over his claiming mark. "Because power like yours could change everything," he explained even though I already knew about that. "The ability to channel pure lunar energy, to heal with a touch, to birth children of extraordinary magical potential... There are those who would kill to control such power."
He was right, of course. I had learned that the hard way, through years of running and hiding. The pendant at my throat hummed with stored magic—my grandmother's last gift, meant to protect me in times of greatest need.
Without it, I would be in a much more perilous situation right now. I didn't even want to think about it. I was lucky to be alive and to be with my mate.
"The hunters that night," I continued, "they weren't just any hunters. They knew exactly what they were looking for. They had spelled weapons, ward-breakers. They came prepared to capture, not kill, and they wanted me."
And not just that, but they also needed me alive. The realization still chilled me.
"They're still out there," I whispered, fear creeping into my voice. "And now, with the babies... They're going to be looking harder for me."
"I'm not letting them anywhere near you," Zoren growled, his alpha power booming through the room. "Or our children."
I turned in his arms to face him. "You don't understand. These people... they've been hunting moon-blessed omegas for generations. They're patient, organized. They won't stop. That's one of the reasons why I've been so careful."
"Then they'll die trying," he stated as though it was the simplest thing in the world, with the absolute certainty of an alpha protecting his mate and pups. "But first, I need to know everything. No more secrets, Lyrian. Who are they?"
I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of generations of hidden knowledge. "They call themselves the Lunar Harvesters. They believe they can extract and control our power, use it for themselves. My grandmother's grimoire had entries about them dating back centuries. They are old."
"Where is this grimoire now?"
"Hidden. Safe." I had made sure of that before I fled. "But it contains secrets that could destroy us all if found. Spells of binding, of power transfer... dark magic that should never be used."
If I didn't think that, one day, I might need that knowledge, I would have already destroyed it.
Zoren was quiet for a moment, processing. I could feel his mind working through strategies, plans, and defenses. It was one of the things I loved about him—how he could take my fears and turn them into actionable problems to solve. He was dependable in so many ways.
"Your grandmother," he said after considering his words for a few seconds, "she died protecting not just you, but these secrets too, didn't she?"
I nodded, tears falling freely now. "She always said our power was meant to heal, to protect. But in the wrong hands... The Harvesters would use it to dominate, to control. They've been trying for centuries to breed moon-blessed omegas in captivity, to create their own source of power. It's a sickening thing."
"And now you're carrying twins of unprecedented magical potential," he concluded, understanding dawning in his eyes.
He already understood the weight of what he was doing, but the new knowledge opened up new implications he needed to consider.
"If they find out..." I couldn't finish the sentence. The thought was too horrifying.
"They won't," he assured me again, kissing my forehead. "But Lyrian, you need to tell me everything you know about them. Every detail from your grandmother's teachings, every rumor, every hint. We can't protect against what we don't understand."
He was right, of course. I had carried these secrets alone for too long, thinking I was protecting others by keeping silent. But now, with two lives growing inside me, silence was no longer an option.
◆◆◆
It happened on a quiet Tuesday afternoon, just three days after I'd told Zoren about my past. It was as though fate had been waiting until that moment before striking.
I was returning from my prenatal check-up with Mae, supposedly under the protection of two Nightshade Wolves guards. Supposedly being the keyword. What were they doing?
The first sign something was wrong was the way my magic suddenly recoiled, like a cat sensing a predator. The moonstone at my throat grew cold—a warning. I stopped walking, my hand going to my stomach. Something was more than just off.
"I feel like something is about to happen," I told the guards, but they were already slumped against the wall of the parking garage, unconscious or worse. How had I not noticed? Had I become so comfortable with Zoren's protection that I'd grown careless?
No, that couldn't be it. I was always careful, no matter who was protecting me.
The air shifted, heavy with spelled suppressants. My magic flickered weakly, trying to maintain the protective barrier around my unborn children. The babies' energy pulsed erratically in response to my fear. They could feel what was about to happen, even though they didn't understand it.
"The young Larimar heir," a voice echoed through the garage. "After all these years, here you are. You've stayed hidden from us for so long, but not anymore."
Three figures emerged from the shadows, wearing the distinctive silver pins of the Lunar Harvesters. They moved with the skill of people who had been practicing for this moment for a long time, surrounding me. I recognized their tactics from my grandmother's warnings.
"Stay back," I warned, drawing what little magic I could still access. The moonstone hummed, ready to release its stored power, but I knew it would be a one-time defense. I had to make it count.
The leader, a woman with cold grey eyes, smiled. "We've been watching you for weeks. Waiting. But now?" Her gaze dropped to my midsection. "Now we can't wait any longer. The potential you carry is too valuable to risk. We must have it."
They knew. They knew about the babies. I shouldn't be surprised. There were so many things they shouldn't know that they did.
"How—"
How indeed. None of what was happening here made sense. Zoren told me he was meticulous about keeping me safe, and I believed him.
"Your mate's cartel isn't as secure as he thinks," she said, taking a step closer. "Money loosens many tongues. It's as simple as that."
Anger flared through me, temporarily overwhelming my fear. Someone in the Nightshade Wolves had betrayed us. Zoren was going to be furious. More than that. Somebody was going to get hurt.
I backed away, but my movements were sluggish. The suppressants were getting stronger, making it hard to focus. The babies' magic tried to fight it, creating a strange war inside my body that made me nauseous.
I didn't have any experience with that. I didn't know how to act and what I shouldn't do.
"You're making this harder than it needs to be," the woman said. "We don't want to hurt you. Your children will be treasured, studied. Their power will advance our understanding by decades."
"Never," I snarled, channeling everything I had into one desperate burst of lunar energy. The moonstone shattered, releasing my grandmother's stored power in a blinding flash.
Two of the Harvesters went down, but the leader remained standing, protected by some kind of shield. And now I had nothing left.
How did she manage to do that? I had no idea. Was she really that powerful?
"Impressive," she said, genuine admiration in her voice. "But futile. It's not going to stop me."
She raised her hand, a binding spell forming at her fingertips. I couldn't move, couldn't breathe. The babies' magic surged in protest, but they were too young, too undeveloped to help.
If this was happening a few months later, it would be different. Right now, I was at her mercy.
This was it. After all these years of running, of hiding, I was going to fail. My children would become experiments, just like the Harvesters had always wanted.
Then the air temperature dropped twenty degrees.
A roar of pure rage shook the entire structure. Zoren. He must have felt my distress through our bond and was going to come to my rescue.
The leader turned, but not fast enough. A massive black wolf crashed through the garage entrance, eyes blazing with alpha power. Behind him, a dozen Nightshade Wolves poured in, but Zoren was already moving. He was the one doing most of the hard work and creating much of the confusion.
He hit the woman with such force that her shield shattered like glass. She tried to speak, probably to cast another spell, but his jaws closed around her throat. The sound that followed would haunt my nightmares. I closed my eyes in that instant.
I collapsed as the suppressant spell broke, gasping for air. Strong arms caught me—Viktor, Zoren's second-in-command.
"Get him out of here," Zoren ordered, shifting back to human form. His voice was deadly calm, which meant he was beyond furious. "Lock down the compound. Find the leak. No one sleeps until we know how they got this close."
"Zoren," I whispered, reaching for him. I needed to feel his fingers against my skin, needed to know this was real.
He was at my side in the same instant, gathering me into his arms. His hands roamed over me, checking for injuries, while his magic enveloped me in protective warmth.
"The babies?" He asked, his voice rough with worry.
"They're okay," I assured him, feeling their magic settling now that the danger had passed. "Just scared. Like their father."
His embrace tightened. "I'm not scared," he growled. "I'm furious. They got too close. My own people—" He cut himself off, body trembling with rage. I could feel it as though it was my own.
"Sir," Viktor interrupted carefully, "we need to move. There could be more."
Zoren nodded. "Take me to Mae. No hospitals, no records. And Viktor?" His voice dropped. "Find who talked. They don't see tomorrow's sunrise."
The drive back was tense. Zoren refused to let go of me, his magic maintaining a constant shield around us both. I could feel his self-recrimination, his fury at the breach in security. He was blaming himself.
"It's not your fault," I tried to tell him.
"I promised to protect you," he said, his voice raw. "I promised nothing would get close to you or our children. I failed."
"You saved us."
"I almost lost you." His hand spread over my stomach, where our children's magic reached for his fingers. "All of you. Never again. Things change after today."
I knew that tone. The cartel was about to become even more restrictive, more protective. Part of me wanted to protest, to maintain some independence, but the memory of those cold grey eyes studying me like a specimen silenced any objections.