232 The Enemy at the Door
Lucian
Mara and I stayed indoors all day. I told her everything that had happened in Mistwood-every near miss, betrayal, and blood-soaked moment.
It didn’t feel funny when I was living it, but now, in the comfort of home with my wife curled beside me, it all sounded absurd. Somehow, the retelling made it bearable. We laughed-not because it was humorous, but because we’d survived it.
I hadn’t expected to return to protests. Apparently, the streets were full of angry pack members, demanding answers. Truth was, Mooncrest had been teetering on the edge for a while-low productivity, no economic backbone of its own. Driftwake’s exports were propping us up. No wonder they were scared.
It only confirmed what I already knew. there had to be a reform. I would run things differently now-more transparency, fewer secrets. If people were going to follow me, they needed to understand what they were following. No more being left in the dark. But all of that could wait. First, we had to deal with Chase.
I received a mind link from my father that morning-his voice in my head, steady and clear. It startled me. He’s home? Darian had said he practically lived at the hospital now. I hadn’t expected to hear from him, much less feel the sharp press of his presence in my thoughts.
“Lucian.”
“Good morning, Father.”
“I’m glad you’re home. Darian told me everything. I’m proud of you.”
His voice was softer than I remembered. Then came the unexpected.
“I want you and Mara to meet me in my bedroom. Darian’s already there.”
I blinked.
His bedroom?
We were never allowed in there. Not even as children. The one time I had entered, was after I had accused him of killing my mother.
I didn’t know what to expect.
Mara stirred beside me, then slipped out of bed and into the bathroom, her mood light and energised. I could feel her happiness through our bond-it pulsed gently under my skin, warm and golden.
She came out moments later, her skin damp and glowing, and kissed me on the lips.
I growled playfully, pulling her closer.
“Good morning, darling,” she whispered.
Instead of responding, I grabbed her waist and dragged her back into bed, tickling her until she dissolved into uncontrollable laughter. Her giggles were music to my ears. It felt so damn good to be home.
Afterward, I led her to the shower. We didn’t make love-we’d had more than our fill the day before. Now, we both had clarity. Focus. There were leads to follow, a war to prepare for. And we weren’t wasting time.
Mara was no longer the woman my father once dismissed from council meetings. She was Luna now. And while he had once banned her from military affairs, that ban ended the moment she held this pack together in my absence.
I wasn’t going to sideline her. Not now. Not ever.
We needed people like her-and Rowan-on our team if we were going to win this. And as long as she wasn’t putting herself or our unborn child in danger, I would never keep her from the battlefield she belonged on.
I had seen what idleness did to her. And I wasn’t about to let her fade in the shadows when she was born to lead beside me.
“Father wants us to join him in his bedroom,” I told Mara as we dried off from the shower.
She turned to me, stunned. “Your father is home?”
I nodded, and she let out a breath of disbelief.
“I can’t believe it, Lucian. He wouldn’t budge from that hospital. I was genuinely worried about his mental health.” Her voice softened. “I’m so relieved he had the strength to leave that room… It means he’s healing too.”
But then something shifted in her expression. Her eyes widened, and her breath caught.
“What is it, Mara?” I asked, already reaching for the towel, the knot in my stomach tightening.
She looked at me, alarmed. “What if he pulled the plug?”
The words hit me like a slap. That thought hadn’t crossed my mind until now. Was that why he called us both? Darian was there too-but if it was about Martha’s passing, would he really want Mara to be part of that moment?
We left the bathroom in a rush, dressing quickly in silence. As we walked toward the right wing of the house, questions swirled in my mind. What happened? Why the sudden urgency? What had changed?
When we reached his bedroom door, a faint scent of antiseptic reached me-the sterile, unmistakable smell of a hospital. My gut clenched.
I opened the door.
And froze.
There she was.
Martha.
Sitting on the bed.
Frail… but alive.
Darian sat beside her, gently holding her hand. Her eyes blinked slowly, as if adjusting to the light-adjusting to lifeagain.
“Shh,” my father said softly, pressing a finger to his lips before I could speak. “She’s confused,” he linked to me privately.
“M-Mother…” Darian said aloud, his voice barely above a whisper.
Her gaze locked onto his.
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< 232 The Enemy at the Door
“Darian…” she rasped, the word fragile and slow.
He squeezed her hand. “I’m here, Mother. I’m right here.”
She gave a faint smile, her body visibly trembling under the weight of whatever she had endured.
I turned to my father. “What did the doctor say?” I asked quietly.
+8 Points >
“They said she’s healed, but disoriented. We should give her twenty-four hours-let her regain her senses fully. But she recognizes everyone, so that’s a good sign.”
I nodded, though part of me still couldn’t believe what I was seeing. After all the loss, all the silence, all the
fear-we got her back.
“Has she said anything about what happened?” I asked carefully.
My father shook his head. “No. And I don’t think it’s wise to press her yet. When she’s stronger-when she’s fully herself-I’ll ask.”
I looked around the room, absorbing the details. The air was different. The pictures of my mother that once hung on the walls were gone, the marks where they had been still fresh. He’d taken them down… recently.
Martha’s presence had changed something in him already.
“I would’ve moved her to her own room,” my father said through the link, “but I need her close.
There’s still too much we don’t know about the poisoning… and about what Lacy told us.”
I gave a silent nod.
Then he turned to all three of us and spoke aloud. “I just wanted everyone to see her. To know she’s alive. That she’s safe. The three of you should go-handle what needs to be done. Time is against us.”
His voice was strong. Commanding. But beneath it, I heard the truth: he had waited so long for this moment… and now that she was back, he was afraid to even blink.
I placed a hand on his shoulder before turning to leave. Mara’s hand found mine, and Darian followed without a word.
We had work to do.
