Chapter 149

Chapter 149
Orion's POV

After Silas spoke those words, I stared at him for a long time.

I had seen every bit of my mother's attitude toward Lyra—she approved of her, had even personally placed that necklace, worn only by generations of Lunas, around her neck before the succession ceremony. She wouldn't do this. She wouldn't push another woman toward me after I'd already told her Lyra was my fated mate. But Silas had once been Mother's staunchest supporter, standing by her side without hesitation during the factional struggle after Father's death. I didn't want to completely erase that old merit just because he'd overstepped this once.

"Only this once," I said, my voice low and heavy. "Next time, it won't be just a warning."

Silas lowered his head, murmuring his assent repeatedly. I didn't spare Maeve another glance, turned around, and opened the passenger door for Lyra to get in.

By the time we drove back to the estate, it was nearly midnight. The silhouettes of the fir forest emerged from the darkness as the headlights swept past, only to be swallowed again just as quickly. I parked the car, killed the engine, and turned to look at Lyra.

"You should go rest," I said, my fingers brushing lightly across the back of her hand. "I need to arrange the follow-up—Darian's still waiting for me to confirm tomorrow's patrol deployment, and Ian needs those samples sent over."

She nodded without asking further questions. She never held me back when I was handling business. Once she'd gone upstairs, I walked through the now-quiet corridor and stopped outside my mother's door, raising my hand to knock.

She hadn't gone to bed yet—her reading glasses rested on the pages of a book in her lap. "This late? What is it?"

I got straight to the point. "Was Maeve your arrangement?"

Isolde paused, her brow furrowing slightly. "Maeve? Silas's daughter? What about the girl?"

Hearing her response, what little doubt I'd harbored completely dissipated. Mother truly hadn't known. I briefly recounted what had happened before our withdrawal tonight—how Silas had brought his daughter to the operation site without notifying anyone, Maeve's behavior, and Silas's final excuse.

Mother listened in silence for quite a while, then sighed. "I hadn't expected Silas to harbor such inappropriate thoughts," she said, her tone carrying an undisguisable weariness. "But he's served me for so many years, and he did contribute during that dispute back then. Punishing him for this one incident might discourage others."

"As long as it wasn't your idea," I said. "I've already warned him. I doubt there'll be a next time."

She nodded, her gaze shifting away from my face as if calculating something. After a moment, she suddenly spoke, changing the subject abruptly. "Why don't you and Lyra get engaged sooner?"

"Silas dared to do this precisely because you don't officially have a mate yet on the surface. Once Lyra becomes the true Luna, those subordinates won't dare entertain such ideas anymore." I was momentarily stunned—the topic shift came so fast I hadn't caught up before she continued. "I'll have someone spread the word tonight. Let's set the wedding for the full moon—it's an auspicious sign, and the Moon Goddess will bless you both."

The full moon. That was exactly when the lunar eclipse would occur. I spent nearly two seconds mentally reviewing the dates, then spoke. "Let's make it the day after the full moon instead."

"It's just one day's difference—what does it matter?" Mother looked puzzled.

"The difference is that I want everyone focused on only one thing that day," I said. "Her name, and the sight of her standing beside me. The full moon night should be reserved for the Moon Goddess."

She looked at me without pressing further. To her, this was probably just her son suddenly becoming particular about ceremonial significance. She wouldn't know that on that full moon night, I would be leading a group through the darkness of the eclipse to personally end Kaelum.

---

Lyra's POV

The next morning, my phone's ringtone yanked me out of a fog of drowsiness. I fumbled for my nightstand, squinting at the caller ID—Rowan. The moment I pressed accept, her voice came crashing down on me, so excited it nearly cracked.

"Lyra! Have you seen it? Blackwood Holdings issued an official announcement last night—Orion Blackwood will be holding a wedding with Lyra Everthorn, heir to Everthorn Biotech, in two weeks!"

"Oh my God, I mean I knew you two were together, but honestly, when I saw that announcement I nearly spilled coffee all over my phone!"

I wasn't fully awake yet and took a few seconds to process her sentence. "What announcement?"

"You don't even know yet? You're getting married and I'm the one telling you?" She gasped dramatically on the other end. "Open any app—it's pinned at the top! The headline's so huge it practically takes up the entire screen!"

Following her instructions, I randomly opened a news app. The pinned headline was exactly what Rowan had just said. Below it was a photo from the last reception—me standing beside Orion, him turning to look at me, me facing the camera with an unmistakably upturned smile. I stared at that photo for a long time.

So much had happened these past months: the necklace being switched, the succession ceremony, Kaelum's secrets. Wedding preparations had been ongoing but kept getting pushed back due to these layers of unexpected events. And now, the date was finally set in stone. Two weeks from now. That date was like a star locked into orbit, suddenly illuminating all the chaotic corners of these recent days.

Rowan continued chattering celebratory remarks on the other end, her voice full of genuine delight. I thanked her and chatted with her about other things—she mentioned meeting a Beta at the club who rode recklessly, "I'll bring him to meet you once I've won him over," and that familiar lightness made me smile. Then her tone suddenly shifted, the cheerfulness mixed with a thread of worry.

"Speaking of which, Lyra, don't you think Cian's been acting strange lately?"

"Even when racing he's distracted—several times he was late releasing the throttle in turns and nearly crashed out. Do you think he might still be stuck on what happened last time?"

I frowned. Being hypnotically controlled into releasing Varyn had indeed hit Cian hard, but after Father's guidance, he'd clearly moved past it. Something else must have happened. I immediately formed a judgment.

"Don't overthink it—maybe he just stayed up late the night before," I casually reassured Rowan. "I'll ask him about it."

After hanging up with Rowan, I dialed Cian's number. It rang for a long time before he answered. "Lyra?"

His voice carried a distracted quality, as if he'd been thinking about something. "Where are you?"

"At the club."

In the background, I could hear the roar of engines—I instantly knew he was lying. "You're standing trackside and telling me you're at the club? Rowan just told me you can't even take corners steadily anymore." My tone grew harder than usual. "Cian, what's really going on?"

Silence stretched long on the other end. Then he sighed, knowing he ultimately couldn't evade my question.

"Varyn's location keeps appearing repeatedly near the racing club lately, but I've been riding here for a week and never found him once."

"I'm worried he's plotting something."