Chapter 16: Betrayer's Daughter? Hero's Daughter

The knock on my door came just before dawn. I'd barely slept, my mind a whirlwind of worries and plans. When I opened the door to find Lucian standing there, his green eyes bright with an intensity I couldn't quite read, my heart skipped a beat.

"Lucian? What's wrong?" I asked, suddenly alert.

He shook his head, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "Nothing's wrong, Lyra. In fact, I think I've found something you need to see. Can you come with me?"

Curiosity piqued, I nodded, following him down the hallway. As we walked, I couldn't help but notice the way the early morning light played across his features, highlighting the strong line of his jaw, the wildness of his hair. I quickly pushed those thoughts aside, reminding myself of my position, of Asher.

Lucian led me to his makeshift office, a room that had become a nest of papers, maps, and strange devices I couldn't even begin to understand. Dr. Winters was there, her red hair pulled back in a messy bun as she pored over some documents.

"Show her," Lucian said softly to Scarlett, who nodded and handed me a folder.

With trembling hands, I opened it. Inside were photographs, reports, and what looked like transcripts of interviews. But it was the names at the top of the first page that made my breath catch: Eira and Rhys Blackwood. My parents.

"What... what is this?" I whispered, looking up at Lucian.

His eyes softened as he met my gaze. "The truth, Lyra. The truth about your parents."

Dr. Winters cleared her throat, her cool gaze fixed on me. "For years, he's been obsessed with uncovering the truth about your parents." she said, a hint of something sharp in her tone.

She began detailing Lucian's investigation, and with each word, I felt my heart swell with a mixture of gratitude and something deeper, more complex.

"He spent countless nights in musty archives, risking discovery to access classified files," Dr. Winters continued, her voice tight. "Do you know how many times he came back injured from clandestine meetings with shifty informants? Or how often I had to patch him up after he snuck into Rogue territory?"

I glanced at Lucian, noticing for the first time the faint scar along his jawline, the way he held his left shoulder slightly stiffly. He'd endured all that... for me?

"Lucian," I breathed, unable to keep the emotion from my voice. "I had no idea..."

Dr. Winters' eyes narrowed slightly at my tone. "Yes, well," she said crisply, "he was quite determined. Regardless of the personal cost."

As she spoke, I couldn't help but notice the way Lucian's gaze remained fixed on me, his green eyes intense with an emotion I was afraid to name. The air between us seemed to thicken, charged with unspoken feelings.

"Thank you," I whispered to Lucian, meaning it with every fiber of my being. "For everything."

His answering smile made my heart skip a beat, and I knew in that moment that whatever I felt for Lucian, it was growing stronger by the second. And that realization terrified me.

"Your parents were part of an elite guard," Lucian explained, his voice filled with admiration. "They were tasked with protecting the former Alpha – my father – from threats both inside and outside the pack."

He showed me surveillance photos, mission reports that had been buried deep in pack archives. My parents' faces, so much younger than I remembered, looked back at me from grainy images. They were always alert, always watching, silent guardians in the background.

"On the night of the attack," Lucian continued, his voice softening, "they were the first to detect the Rogue infiltration. They raised the alarm, but it was almost too late. The Rogues had already breached the inner sanctum."

My heart raced as Lucian described the battle that ensued. My parents, outnumbered but undaunted, had fought fiercely to protect the Alpha. They'd managed to get him to safety, but at a terrible cost.

"They were cornered here," Lucian said, pointing to a spot on an old blueprint of the pack house. "Outnumbered, injured, but still fighting. They... they gave their lives to buy time for reinforcements to arrive."

Tears stung my eyes as I listened. All my life, I'd believed my parents were traitors, that they'd betrayed the pack. But the truth was so different, so painfully beautiful.

"But why?" I asked, my voice breaking. "Why was I told they were traitors? Why was I treated like... like..."

"Like a slave?" Lucian finished, anger flashing in his eyes. "Because someone wanted to cover up the truth. Someone who was working with the Rogues even then."

"Uncle Marcus," I breathed, the pieces falling into place.

Lucian nodded grimly. "He used the chaos of that night to spin a story that painted your parents as traitors. It was the perfect cover – discredit the very people who had discovered his involvement with the Rogues."

I sank into a chair, my mind reeling. Everything I thought I knew about my past, about my parents, had been a lie.

"Lyra," Lucian said softly, kneeling in front of me. "I know this is a lot to take in. But I want you to know, I swore to myself that I would uncover the truth. Not just for my father, but for you. You deserved to know who your parents really were."

I looked into his eyes, seeing the sincerity there, the depth of emotion that made my heart ache. "Thank you," I whispered, unable to find words to express the gratitude and confusion swirling inside me.

Lucian's hand came up, gently wiping away a tear I hadn't realized had fallen. The touch sent a jolt through me, and for a moment, the world seemed to narrow to just the two of us.

The sound of Scarlett clearing her throat broke the spell. I pulled back, suddenly aware of how close Lucian and I had been.

"We should tell Asher," I said quickly, standing up. "The whole pack needs to know the truth."

Lucian nodded, a flicker of... something... passing across his face before he schooled his features into a neutral expression. "Of course. I'll call a pack meeting for this afternoon."

As I left the room, my head spinning with all I'd learned, I couldn't shake the feeling that something had shifted between Lucian and me. And I wasn't sure if I was ready to face what that might mean.

The great hall was packed, an air of anticipation thick in the air. I stood beside Asher at the front of the room, my heart pounding. Lucian stood on Asher's other side, and I could feel the energy humming between the three of us.

Asher stepped forward, his voice ringing out across the hall. "My brothers and sisters, we've called you here today to reveal truths that have been hidden for far too long. Truths about betrayal, about heroism, and about the very foundations of our pack."

He went on to explain what we'd discovered about Uncle Marcus, about the Rogues' long-standing plot against the pack. The crowd listened in stunned silence, occasional murmurs of shock or anger rippling through the room.

Then Asher turned to me, his eyes soft. "But there's more. A truth that rights a terrible wrong done to one of our own." He held out his hand to me, and I stepped forward, my legs feeling like jelly.

"Many of you have known Lyra as a servant, as less than pack," Asher said, his voice hardening. "You were told her parents were traitors who betrayed the previous Alpha – my father. Today, we're here to tell you that was a lie."

Gasps and whispers broke out across the room. I saw Cora's eyes widen in shock, saw Beta Kieran's face pale.

Lucian stepped forward then, laying out the evidence he'd gathered. He explained how my parents had sacrificed themselves to save the previous Alpha, how their names had been sullied to cover up the real traitors.

As he spoke, I felt a swell of emotion threatening to overwhelm me. Pride in my parents' bravery. Anger at the injustice done to them, to me. And a deep, aching sadness for the life I could have had if the truth had been known.

"Lyra is not the child of traitors," Lucian concluded, his voice ringing with conviction. "She is the daughter of heroes. And it's long past time she was treated as such."

The silence that followed was deafening. Then, slowly, pack members began to stand. Beta Kieran was the first, dropping to one knee before me.

"Luna Lyra," he said, his voice thick with emotion, "I beg your forgiveness for the way I've treated you. For the blind eye I turned to your suffering. Your parents were heroes, and you... you are the Luna we don't deserve, but the one we desperately need."

One by one, other pack members followed suit. Cora, tears streaming down her face. Evelyn, her usual haughty expression replaced by one of genuine remorse. Soon, the entire pack was kneeling, a sea of bowed heads before me.

I felt Asher's hand on my back, steadying me. "My Luna," he murmured, pride evident in his voice. "What would you have us do?"

I took a deep breath, looking out at the pack – my pack. "Stand," I said, my voice stronger than I felt. "Stand, and let us move forward together. The past cannot be changed, but the future... the future is ours to shape. And we have a pack to protect, don't we?"

A cheer went up from the crowd, faces that had once looked at me with scorn now shining with respect and admiration. As Asher pulled me close, pressing a kiss to my temple, I caught Lucian's eye over his shoulder.

The intensity of his gaze made my breath catch. There was pride there, yes, but also something deeper, something that made my heart race. I saw Scarlett step up beside him, placing a hand on his arm, and felt an irrational stab of... jealousy? No, I couldn't allow myself to feel that.

I was Asher's Luna, I reminded myself firmly. Asher's mate, Asher's wife. What I felt for Lucian was... complicated. Born of gratitude, of shared trauma and understanding. It couldn't be more than that. It shouldn't be more than that.

But as the meeting continued, I couldn't help but feel the weight of Lucian's gaze. Couldn't help but be acutely aware of his presence, even from across the room.

My emotions were a tangled mess. Joy at having my parents' names cleared. Pride in my new standing in the pack. Love for Asher, steady and true. And something for Lucian that I didn't dare name, didn't dare examine too closely.

Asher's voice pulled me from my thoughts. "Brothers and sisters," he said, his tone grave, "with these truths revealed, we can no longer stand idle. The Rogues have taken too much from us – my father, Lyra's parents, years of peace and security. It's time we took the fight to them."

A murmur of agreement rippled through the crowd.

"I hereby declare war on the Rogues," Asher continued, his voice ringing with authority. "We will hunt them down, root out their corruption, and ensure they can never threaten our pack again."

The pack erupted in cheers and howls of approval. But their cries were suddenly cut short by a deafening crash.

The great hall's doors burst open, splinters of wood flying everywhere. Through the dust and chaos, I saw them – Rogues, more than I could count, pouring into the room with feral snarls and glowing eyes.

"Protect the pack!" Asher roared, already shifting into his wolf form.

Chaos erupted. Pack members shifted, meeting the Rogues' charge with teeth and claws. But something was wrong. The Rogues weren't engaging in a full-on battle. They were... searching for something. For someone.

With a jolt of terror, I realized they were looking for me.

A massive Rogue, larger than any wolf I'd ever seen, locked eyes with me across the room. His lips pulled back in a grotesque imitation of a smile, and he began to plow through the crowd, heading straight for me.

"Lyra!" I heard Asher's voice, panic-stricken, from somewhere to my left. "Lucian, protect her!"

I tried to run, to shift, to do anything. But my body wouldn't respond. I was frozen, watching in horror as the Rogue drew closer.

Suddenly, Lucian was there, placing himself between me and the advancing Rogue. "Run, Lyra!" he shouted, his body already beginning to shift.

But it was too late. More Rogues had broken through, surrounding us. I felt rough hands grab me, felt the prick of a needle in my neck. As darkness began to cloud my vision, I saw Lucian fighting desperately to reach me, saw Asher's wolf form leaping over fallen pack members, racing towards us.

The last thing I heard before consciousness slipped away was Asher's anguished howl and Lucian's desperate cry of my name. Then, there was only darkness.