Chapter 28 Connected Souls

Chapter 28 Connected Souls
Sienna's POV

Vera escaped.

The words hit me like a punch to the chest.

"When?" I demanded.

"Two hours ago." Daemon stepped into the crater. "My scouts intercepted Assembly communications. She had help from inside."

"Who would help her?"

"Pack loyalists. The ones who still believe in the old ways." Daemon's jaw tightened. "She's gathering them. Building an army."

Kael shifted Lily in his arms. "An army for what?"

"For hunting Sienna."

My legs went weak. I sat down hard on a piece of rubble.

"She can't do that alone," Dr. Helena said. "The Assembly has jurisdiction over all supernatural crimes. Vera can't just form a hunting party."

"She's not working alone." Daemon pulled out his phone. Showed us a photo. "My scouts took this an hour ago."

The image showed Vera standing with three Assembly officials. Shaking hands. Smiling.

"She made a deal," I whispered.

"More than that." Daemon swiped to another photo. "She gave them evidence. Proof that you're dangerous."

The next image showed the destroyed safe house. The collapsed cabin. Bodies of hunters I'd killed.

"She's framing this as self-defense for the pack," Daemon said. "Claiming you attacked first. That you're unstable. A threat to everyone."

Luna made a sound. Almost a laugh. "That's brilliant. Evil, but brilliant."

"How is that brilliant?" I asked.

"Because now the Assembly has legal justification to hunt you. Vera gave them exactly what they needed. Evidence of destruction. Proof of danger. Witnesses who'll testify you're out of control."

My hands shook. "But I was defending myself. Defending all of you."

"Doesn't matter." Luna sat beside me. "To them, you're a rogue moon witch who killed Assembly guards and destroyed property. That's a death sentence."

"So what do we do?"

"Run," Daemon said. "Tonight. My pack can hide you until we figure out a plan."

"No." Kael's voice was firm. "Running makes her look guilty. We need to prove Vera's lying."

"How? She has photos. Witnesses. The Assembly on her side."

"We have the truth."

"The truth doesn't matter when they control the narrative." Luna stood. Paced. "They'll spin this however they want. Make Sienna into a monster. Use her as an example to terrify other moon witches into submission."

Lily stirred in Kael's arms. Her eyes opened.

"Mommy?" She looked around. Confused. "Why is everyone yelling?"

"We're not yelling, baby. Just talking."

"You're scared. I can feel it." Lily reached for me. Kael handed her over. She pressed her face against my neck. "Don't be scared. I'm okay now."

My throat closed up. She was comforting me. My five-year-old daughter was comforting me.

"I know you're okay."

"Because you stopped hurting yourself." Lily pulled back. Looked at me with those too-wise eyes. "I felt it. Every time you pushed your power down. It hurt you. Then it hurt me."

Dr. Helena knelt beside us. "Lily, can you tell me more about what you felt?"

"Like Mommy was holding her breath. And I couldn't breathe either." Lily touched my face. "Please don't hold your breath anymore. Please just breathe."

"I won't. I promise."

Dr. Helena looked at Kael. "That confirms it. Their life forces are completely intertwined. When Sienna restricts her power, Lily's body interprets it as oxygen deprivation."

"Can we fix it?" Kael asked.

"Not fix. Manage." Dr. Helena pulled out her scanner. "Sienna needs to maintain steady power flow. No suppression. No sudden releases. Just constant, balanced energy."

"Like breathing," Lily said.

"Exactly like breathing."

Luna crossed her arms. "That's the opposite of everything I taught her. She'll be visible to every supernatural being within miles. The Assembly will track her constantly."

"Then let them track me." I stood. Held Lily close. "I'm done hiding. Done pretending to be less than I am. If staying small kills my daughter, I choose being dangerous."

"They'll kill you," Luna said.

"They're already trying to kill me. At least this way, Lily lives."

Kael moved beside me. "You won't face them alone."

"You don't have to do this."

"Yes, I do." He looked at Lily. At me. "She's my daughter too. And you're..." He stopped. Couldn't finish.

I didn't push him. Didn't ask. The unspoken truth hung between us.

Daemon cleared his throat. "If you're done with the moment, we still have a problem. Vera's coming. With Assembly backing. We need a plan."

"How long do we have?" I asked.

"My scouts say she's mobilizing hunters now. They'll reach this area by dawn."

I looked at the sky. Still dark. But dawn wasn't far.

"That's maybe four hours," Dr. Helena said.

"Not enough time to run," Kael said.

"Then we stand and fight." I shifted Lily to my hip. "We prove I'm not the monster Vera claims."

"How?"

"By showing them the truth. The journal. My mother's story. The connection between me and Lily. Everything."

Luna shook her head. "They won't care. They've already decided you're guilty."

"Then I'll make them care."

"Sienna—"

"I'm not running anymore!" My power flared. Silver light pulsed around my hands. "I'm not caging myself. I'm not holding my breath. I'm going to breathe and let them deal with it."

Lily giggled. "Mommy's glowing again."

"Is it scaring you?"

"No. It's pretty."

Something in my chest loosened. My daughter wasn't afraid of my power. She thought it was pretty.

Maybe I could stop being afraid too.

Dr. Helena's scanner beeped. She looked at it. Frowned.

"What?" Kael asked.

"Lily's vitals. They're stabilizing. Better than I've ever seen them." She showed us the readings. "Her heart rate is normal. Brain activity is balanced. No signs of distress."

"Because I'm not suppressing," I said.

"Yes. Your steady power flow is regulating her entire system." Dr. Helena looked amazed. "If you can maintain this, she might never have another episode."

Hope fluttered in my chest. Fragile. Terrifying.

"Then I'll maintain it. Whatever it takes."

Daemon's phone buzzed. He looked at it. His face went hard.

"What now?" Luna asked.

"My scouts just sent an update." He turned the phone toward us. "Vera's not waiting for dawn."

The image showed a convoy of vehicles. At least twenty. Heading our way.

"How far?" Kael demanded.

"Ten miles. Maybe less."

"That's twenty minutes!"

"I know."

"We need to move. Now." Dr. Helena started gathering equipment.

"Where?" Luna asked. "They'll track us anywhere we go."

"Then we don't run." I handed Lily to Kael. "We prepare. We make our stand here."

"That's suicide," Daemon said.

"Maybe. But I'm done being prey."

The ground shook. Just slightly. But enough to feel.

We all froze.

"What was that?" Dr. Helena whispered.

Orion burst from the trees. Running. His face was white.

"They're already here!" he shouted. "The hunters are already here!"