The eighth month brought silence.
Not the dangerous silence of the Silent Ones, but something else. A pause. The Pureblood Fringe attacks had stopped. The remnants Selene had identified were quiet. Even the network of wolves and vampires seemed to be holding its breath.
Lyra spent her days on the widow's walk. The baby moved constantly now—a steady rhythm of life that reminded her with every flutter that the world was changing inside her. Helena had confirmed the child was healthy, though she couldn't say what it would be. Vampire. Wolf. Something else. The texts were silent on the matter.
Kael was always nearby. He'd taken to working from the house—pack business conducted over video calls, his father handling what couldn't be done remotely. He cooked meals he knew she wouldn't eat and sat with her while she drank the special mixture Helena had developed: blood fortified with herbs that were supposed to support whatever was growing inside her.
"You're hovering," Lyra said one evening.
"I'm protecting."
"Same thing."
He sat beside her on the widow's walk. The sun was setting, painting the Pacific in shades of orange and rose. His hand found hers.
"Selene sent another message," he said. "The remnants are moving. She doesn't know where or when, but they're planning something."
"They'll come for the birth."
"Probably."
Lyra looked at her stomach. The curve was pronounced now, impossible to hide. "Then we make sure they don't succeed."
"How?"
She thought about the network they'd built. Garrett and Isolde. Thorne and Sera. The dozens of others who had reached out, who believed in what they were building. "We're not alone anymore. We don't have to face this by ourselves."
Kael nodded slowly. "I'll call them. Everyone who's willing to come."
"Not to fight. To witness. To be present. If the Silent Ones want to stop this child from being born, they'll have to do it in front of everyone. And I don't think they have the numbers for that."
He looked at her for a long moment. "That's either brilliant or insane."
"Both. Like everything we've done."
He laughed—a surprised sound that echoed off the cliff. "Okay. Let's invite the world."