His Scarred Luna

Chapter 7

Lyra stood outside the pack house, hesitating. The eight-story building loomed above her, its familiar structure feeling oddly foreign. Through the wide glass doors, she could see the large foyer with its plush seating and polished floors. Beyond a glass wall was the expansive dining hall, where voices and laughter filtered faintly through.

She exhaled slowly and walked inside, heading straight for the elevators. The moment the doors opened, she stepped in and pressed the button for the seventh floor.

She had never been above the sixth floor, the gamma floor, before. As a kid, she used to visit Russ there all the time. He had grown up in the pack house, as most children of ranked members did. The top two floors were reserved for the beta and alpha families, and Lyra had never had cause or invitation to go that high. While Alpha Christian had once been sympathetic to her family, his beta, Drew, had always been cold and dismissive.

But today, she was headed to the beta floor to see Megan.

When the elevator doors slid open, Lyra stepped into a warmly lit sitting room. Large windows bathed the space in sunlight, and soft yellows and warm browns decorated the area, making it feel bright and cozy.

"Lyra!"

Megan’s voice called out cheerfully from an overstuffed armchair. She began to stand, awkwardly maneuvering around her pregnant belly.

"Don't get up," Lyra said quickly, crossing the room. "You'll pull a muscle. I’ll come to you."

Megan laughed as she eased back down into the chair. "I feel like a whale."

Lyra smiled, sinking onto the couch beside her. "You look good. Pregnancy suits you."

Megan rolled her eyes. "Thanks, but I’m a bit over it. This boy has been using my bladder as a soccer ball every night. I might as well start sleeping in the bathroom for all the times I have to get up."

Lyra laughed. "You make pregnancy sound like a dream."

"Or a nightmare."

The elevator doors slid open again, and there was Russ, his red curls dancing across his forehead.

"Have I missed the fun?" He strolled in and plopped onto the couch next to Lyra.

"Just talking about how my pup has turned my insides into his playground."

Russ shuddered. "Glad I missed that discussion."

"You have a mate, right?" Lyra turned to him, wanting to catch up.

"Yeah, Trisha." He smiled warmly, his eyes lighting up. "I met her at the academy. She’s from the Moon Valley pack, but she came back here with me."

"You’ll like her," Megan said, rubbing her belly. "She’s the sweetest."

"Any pups?" Lyra asked Russ.

He shook his head. "Not yet. Trisha wanted to wait a little while, but I think seeing Megan pregnant is starting to give her baby fever."

"Goddess help us." Megan shuddered exaggeratedly. "A bunch of little Russes running around."

"Hey!" Russ tossed a throw pillow at Megan, making her laugh. "You should be thrilled when I consider gracing the world with more of me."

Lyra smiled at their banter. It was comfortingly familiar, reminding her of how much she had missed them. She knew why she had left, why she had cut off contact all those years ago, but it didn’t make her feel any better about it. And it didn’t change the fact that she couldn’t let herself fall back into who she used to be.

She had come back for only one reason.

"Uh-oh. That’s Lyra’s serious face." She looked up to see Russ watching her.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Megan asked, tossing the pillow back to Russ.

"I’m not sure they’re worth that much." Lyra sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Can I see the nursery?"

Megan smiled, happily latching onto the change of subject. If she realized it was a diversion, she didn’t show it.

"Help me up." She held out her hands, wiggling her fingers.

Russ rolled his eyes as he pulled her to her feet. She led them down a short hallway into a cozy nursery. The walls were painted a soft sage green, and plush animals lined the shelves. A crib sat beneath the window, and a rocking chair rested in the corner, a folded quilt draped over the back.

"It’s beautiful," Lyra said softly, brushing her fingers across one of the stuffed wolves on the shelf. It was a dark reddish brown with red eyes.

Megan smiled as she sank into the rocking chair. "Russ picked out that one. He said it reminded him of Callan."

Lyra laughed. With the exception of the red eyes, it did look like the beta’s wolf. "That’s fair."

They sat in the nursery for a few minutes, talking about baby names and Megan’s birth plan.

"I can’t wait for you to meet him," Megan said, her voice full of excitement, as Lyra ran her fingers over the quilt on the crib.

"Will you be here for that?" Russ asked from where he leaned against the wall.

Megan frowned. "Why wouldn’t she be here for the birth?" She looked at Lyra. "You’re back for good, right?"

"Have you told Megan why you’re back?" Russ asked, raising an eyebrow.

Lyra shook her head.

Megan looked between the two of them. "Well, don’t leave me in suspense. I can’t believe you told him before me."

Lyra smiled slightly. It was just like Megan to try to put everyone at ease. "I’ve been studying human medicine since I left. I finally finished med school, and I’m about to start a residency program in Chicago. It’s a really great opportunity."

Megan nodded. "Okay, that’s great. But why would you want to stay in the human world?"

"For Donovan. I came back to get him. To take him with me. There are treatments and specialists that could help him live a normal life in the human world."

Megan frowned, her forehead creasing. "But Donovan is part of our pack. He belongs here. Just like you."

Lyra shook her head. "I know you guys feel that way, but very few others do. You both know how people in this pack have treated Donovan and me. And let’s be honest. Donovan doesn’t even have a wolf. He’s going to be in that chair for his whole life. He’ll never have a mate here. No one is going to love a disabled human in a werewolf pack. But out there, in the human world, people like him find love and fulfillment. He could have a job. He could have his own place. He might even find a nice human girl who will love him exactly as he is. But if he stays here, he’ll never have any of that."

"That’s not right! You aren’t..." Megan started.

"You’re not listening to her."

They all turned toward the door. Somehow, Callan had appeared silently in the doorway, watching them.

Megan glared at him. "I am listening."

He shook his head. "You always hear what you want to hear. She’s not wrong about her brother, and you know that."

"You’ve never cared about Donovan like I have," she shot back.

Callan’s eyes flashed black, but he recovered quickly. "I know he’s important to you, but he’s also important to her. It doesn’t sound like Lyra is making this decision lightly. She’s really thought about it."

"Thank you," Lyra muttered, surprised that Beta Callan, of all people, was sticking up for her.

"You can’t just leave pack life behind," Megan said. "What about your responsibilities to the pack? The alpha could call you back at any time. What happens to Donovan then?"

"I’ve thought about that," Lyra said. "I plan to ask Alpha Jake to release Donnie and me from the pack."

"And you think he will?" Megan raised an eyebrow.

She shrugged. "Why wouldn’t he? It’s not like we’re vital to the pack. If anything, he’ll probably be relieved to be done with us. The elders never wanted my mother or us here to begin with."

"But Alpha Christian always took care of your family," Megan argued.

"Alpha Jake isn’t his father." Lyra shrugged. "He never felt the same sympathy."

"I’ll get you a meeting with him if you’d like," Callan said quietly.

"What?" Megan cried. "Don’t help her with this madness."

"I’d appreciate it," Lyra said, offering him a tight smile. "I’m not trying to cause problems with either of you."

Callan smirked. "You don’t have to. Megan can create enough problems without your help."

Megan pulled herself to her feet with effort, shooting a glare at her mate. "We’re going to talk about this later."

"I’m sure we will," Callan said with a sigh.