The Luna He Erased

Chapter 5

The worst

Lyra

Getting back home after that incident destabilized me. Throughout the night, after I had put Leo to sleep who had millions of questions to ask me, I cried my eyes out.

The years of trauma came back. All the promises made and broken. How he betrayed me and left me to die all for his throne. I hated him, hated his name and anything to do with him.

The sun was slowly rising, and I needed to get myself together, so I could get to work. It would be a long day in the healer tent as the war was still very much at its peak.

I yanked the cottage door open and nearly crashed into a huge chest. I balanced myself and looked up.

It was Kade.

He stood right there on my doorstep, his storm-grey eyes locked on mine, looking like he hadn’t slept in days. My heart slammed so hard I thought it would c***k my ribs.

Behind me, Leo’s small feet pattered across the floorboards.

“Mama, who’s that?” Leo asked, peeping around my legs with a bright smile.

Kade’s gaze dropped to him. Something raw flashed across his face. I stepped sideways, blocking most of Leo from view, and forced my voice steady.

“Go back inside, sweetheart. Now.”

“But he looks funny,” Leo said, still smiling up at the stranger. “His eyes are like mine.”

Panic shot through me so fast my hands shook. I spun, knelt, and gripped Leo’s shoulders. “Inside. Please. Mama needs to talk.”

He pouted but nodded and disappeared into the cottage. I straightened and faced Kade again, keeping the door half-closed behind me.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I hissed. “You can’t just show up here. How did you even follow me? Or find me?”

“I had to see you,” he said, voice rough. “After last night… Lyra, that boy….”

“Don’t.” I cut him off. “You don’t get to ask. I want you to leave. Right now.”

He didn’t move. “I crossed the wards, took half the night and nearly got myself killed by rogue patrols, but I made it. I’m not walking away.”

“You already did,” I snapped. “Five years ago in front of everyone. Remember? ‘I reject you.’

”His jaw clenched. “I had no choice.”

“Bullshit.” My voice cracked. “You had a choice. You chose the crown. Now get off my porch before someone sees you.”

Footsteps sounded from the path. Kate’s voice called out, “Lyra? Is everything alright?”

I shoved the door wider and pushed Kade back a step. “Leave. Please. If they find you here…”

He leaned in, close enough that I smelled pine and steel again. “That mark on his neck. That’s my bloodline. Tell me the truth.”

“My son’s father is dead,” I said, the lie tasting like ash. “You heard me last night. Now go.”

He stared at me for a long second, then stepped back. “This isn’t over.”

I slammed the door and leaned against it, breathing hard. Leo ran over and hugged my legs.

“Was that a bad man, Mama?”

“Just someone from the old pack,” I whispered, stroking his hair. “We’re fine.”

But we weren’t.

By midday the first rumors hit. A scout burst into the main hall while I was helping Mara with herbs.

“Silver Ridge knows,” he panted. “Someone saw the Alpha heir near the eastern border last night. They’re saying Lyra Ashwood is alive and she has a child with the same eyes and birthmark as the Alpha.”

Kate's face went white. Galen swore under his breath.

“How fast did it spread?” I asked.

“It has already reached their council,” the scout said. “Messengers are flying in and out of the pack.”

I pressed a hand to my stomach, my old fear rising. “They can’t know about Leo.”

Galen’s voice was hard. “They already do. One wrong patrol, one loose mouth, and the whole territory knows.”

I spent the afternoon locking doors and packing a bag in case we had to run. Leo played with wooden wolves on the floor, humming, completely unaware. Every time I looked at him my chest ached.

Near sunset a second scout arrived, holding a blood-red scroll sealed with the Moon Council’s crest.

Galen broke the seal and read it out loud in the quiet room.

“By decree of the High Council of Silver Ridge… the child known as Leo, offspring of the rejected hybrid Lyra Ashwood, is declared an abomination and threat to the pure bloodlines of the throne of Silveridge. He is to be killed on sight. Any person sheltering the child or the mother will face the same fate. Signed, High Chancellor Magnus.”

The words hit hard. I grabbed the edge of the table to stay upright.

“They’re going to kill him,” I whispered. “My baby.”

Kate put a hand on my arm. “We won’t let them.”

Galen crushed the scroll in his fist. “This is an act of war. They’re already massing troops.”

A knock sounded at the door. I opened it myself this time. Kade stood there again, his armor dusty, face set cold. He held up both hands. “I come alone. No guards. Just me.”

“Get out,” I said, but my voice shook.

“I heard the decree,” he said. “The second I heard it I rode here. They’re serious, Lyra. They want him dead.”

Leo peeked from behind me. “Mama, is the man back?”

I gently pushed him toward Kate. “Go with Aunt Kate for a minute.”

When the door closed I faced Kade fully. “You caused this. Your people.”

“I know.” He swallowed. “I can’t stop the council from the outside. But I can from the inside. I’m offering you a deal.”

I laughed, bitter and sharp. “A deal? After everything?”

“For six months,” he said. “You and Leo come back to Silver Ridge under my protection. I will end the war with Galen’s kingdom and keep the council from touching either of you. In return… I get to know my son.”

The room tilted. “You think I’ll just walk back into that nest of vipers?”

“I think you’ll do anything to keep him breathing,” Kade answered. “So will I. Six months. That’s all I’m asking. After that, if you still hate me, you walk out with him, free.”

I stared at him, heart pounding so loud I could barely hear my own voice. “And if I say no?”

His eyes darkened. “Then the next time you see me, it might be over Leo’s body. Because the council won’t stop, till I stop them.”

Silence stretched between us, thick and heavy. Outside, distant horns began to sound from the border and the rogue guards shouting. The first wave of Silver Ridge warriors had arrived.

Kade held out his hand. “Decide, Lyra. They are here.”

I looked past him toward the dark trees, then back at the door where my son waited, laughing at something Kate said while Gelene shook his head in disapproval.

My mouth opened, then closed. Fear enveloped me. “I accept.”