His Scarred Luna

Chapter 9

“How are you feeling about tomorrow?” Lyra asked, stretching across Donovan’s bed to grab another of their mother’s journals from the box.

Donovan didn’t look up from the stack of old photos in his lap. “Ready,” he said with a grin. “More than ready.”

They had been slowly working through the boxes their mother had tucked away, sorting through photos, trinkets, and handwritten letters. They hadn’t spent much time on the journals yet. Lyra hoped to take them when they finally left for Chicago, though the trip had been pushed back a few days while her car waited on a part from the human city. The mechanic said he would pick it up Tuesday and promised her car was at the top of his list.

“Do you think he’ll actually release us tomorrow?” Donovan held a photo up to the light, squinting. “Or just drag his feet like always?”

“Probably the latter,” Lyra said, flipping open the journal in her hands. It looked like the same one she had skimmed before, the one where their mother wrote about being pregnant with Donovan. The familiar slanted handwriting curled across the page like ivy. “He might agree to it in theory, but I doubt he’ll make it official until we’re actually leaving. Otherwise, we’d be two rogues hanging around the pack, and I don’t think the elders would be thrilled about that.”

Donovan nodded and set the photo down with the others. “Makes sense.”

He looked over at her, his brow creasing. “How are you feeling about it? Leaving, I mean.”

Lyra paused, her fingers resting lightly on the page. “Honestly? I’m ready. I want out. I want both of us out.” She smiled at him. “Chicago’s going to be amazing. I matched at a trauma center downtown. It’s fast-paced, unpredictable, full of adrenaline. I did a rotation there in med school, and I loved every second of it.”

“That’s so cool.” Donovan scratched his chin, thoughtful. “Do you think I could go to college?”

“Absolutely,” she said, setting the journal aside and rolling onto her side to face him. “There are a ton of great schools in the city. And if you’re not ready for campus life right away, you can start with online classes. You’ve got options.”

He gave a small shrug, but she saw the flicker of hope in his eyes. “I was thinking about psychology. I’ve always felt like I’m good at reading people. Maybe I could be a counselor or something.”

Lyra’s eyes lit up. “That would be perfect for you. You’re incredibly empathetic, more than anyone I know.”

He smiled softly. “Same as you.”

She reached out and brushed his hand with her fingers. “I actually considered psychiatry for a while. It’s such a fascinating field. But surgery pulled me in.”

She sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. “You’re going to love it. I found this apartment in a good neighborhood. It’s fully accessible, and there are so many resources out there for people in wheelchairs. You could even learn to drive.”

Donovan blinked. “Drive? I can’t even use my legs.”

Lyra laughed. “That’s what hand controls are for. It’s a whole different world out there, Donnie. They have tech, support services, real opportunities. Nothing like this place.”

He looked down at the photo in his hands, quieter now. “It sounds good. Like a fresh start.”

She picked up the journal again and flipped to where she’d left off.

I haven’t felt him move in a while. I went back to the hospital and the doctor said there is still a heartbeat. He had me on a monitor and said the baby was less active, but it’s too early for him to be born. He recommended bed rest but warned me there’s a real chance I could lose him.

I don’t know what to do. Lyle says this should be my last pregnancy. He’s worried about the stress it’s putting on me. I know he always wanted a big family, and I hate that I can’t give that to him. He’s already lost so much. He gave up his position among the alpha’s warriors. He’s been shunned by the elders. I just wish I could give him one thing that still makes him proud.

“What is it?” Donovan’s voice was quiet. He was watching her closely now.

“She’s writing about being pregnant with you,” Lyra said. “There were complications. She thought she was going to lose you.” She kept reading aloud.

Lyle doesn’t want me going to the witches, but I can’t lose this baby. I went to the pack house to find Luna Charlotte, but she wasn’t there. I spoke to Alpha Christian instead. He told me about a witch who had helped them before. He said she was trustworthy and gave me directions, but he warned me not to tell Lyle. He said Lyle wouldn’t allow it.

Donovan sat up straighter. “Alpha Christian sent her to a forest witch?”

“Seems like it.” Lyra turned to the next entry.

It took longer than I expected to find the witch’s place. I shouldn’t have been walking so far, but I had to try. Her home was filthy. A dirt floor, animal hides everywhere. I’d heard most witches were more modern, but not this one. She gave me a potion to drink. It was so foul I nearly threw it up. She told me not to waste a drop. Then she gave me tea bags. One cup every morning, steeped in hot water. They smell horrible, but if it saves the baby, I’ll do it.

“What on Earth was she thinking?” Donovan whispered, horrified. “What was in that stuff?”

“I…” Lyra hesitated, turning the page slowly. “I’m not sure.”

The tea is awful. I feel sluggish all the time. But I went back to the hospital and the baby looked good. The doctor said he’s surprised the pregnancy is progressing. He’s moving more, kicking strong. I’ll endure anything to keep him alive.

A knock at the door startled them both. It opened to reveal Lyle leaning against the frame.

“Wanted to check in,” he said, then paused when he saw their faces. “What’s wrong?”

“Did Mom go to a forest witch when she was pregnant with me?” Donovan asked. His voice was tight.

Lyle’s expression darkened. He looked between them, his shoulders sagging. “How did you find out?”

Lyra held up the journal. “It’s in here.”

Lyle sighed and rubbed a hand over his short hair. “Yeah. She did. She thought it was safe.”

“Was it?” Lyra asked, her voice quiet. But even as she said it, something in her told her the answer.

“No,” Lyle whispered. “At first, things seemed better. But then…”

He trailed off, eyes going glassy. Lyra blinked. For a moment, she thought she saw a haze around him, blue and purple, heavy like grief and something else. Guilt, maybe. She blinked again and it vanished.

“What happened?” Donovan asked, gripping the arms of his chair.

“The witch was lacing the tea with silver,” Lyle said, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Your mother kept drinking it. The witch kept increasing the dose. Eventually… it killed her. And we think that’s what left you in that chair.”

Lyra frowned. Something didn’t line up.

“I was poisoned?” Donovan looked stunned. “With silver? Is that why I don’t have a wolf?”

Lyle nodded slowly. “That’s what the doctors believed. They think the silver killed your wolf.”

“Alpha Christian sent her to that witch,” Lyra said, glancing back at the journal.

“He didn’t know,” Lyle murmured. “He said he had no idea she’d do something like that. That’s why he killed her.”

Lyra narrowed her eyes. “Why would he do that? Alpha Christian is the one who set Donnie out to die in the forest that night. He never wanted him alive in the pack. Why kill the witch if he didn’t care?”

“We’ve gone over this,” Lyle said, shifting uncomfortably. “He made a mistake that night. He was angry and scared. But he’s tried to make up for it. He apologized. He promised to look after you and Donnie. He’s taken care of us. He kept his promises.”

Lyra looked down at the journal again. “But silver doesn’t kill humans. It hurts wolves, yes, but Mom wasn’t a werewolf. How did it kill her?”

Lyle didn’t answer right away. He stared at a spot over her head and shrugged. “Just one of those things we’ll never know.”

Lyra blinked. She thought she saw his words take shape, dark, distorted. Wrong. She shook her head, and the image vanished.

What was that? Juno’s voice echoed in her mind. Is he lying to you?

It seemed like it. But it didn’t make sense.

Did it?