Chapter 164

Chapter 164
Orion's POV

When consciousness crept back, the first thing I registered was light.

A faint glow seeped through the curtains—not bright, as if dawn hadn't fully broken yet. Then I became aware of my hand, held by another whose fingertips were cool but whose grip was tight.

I opened my eyes.

Lyra sat beside the bed, spine rigid, deep shadows pooled beneath her eyes, lips chapped as though she hadn't had water in days. The moment she saw me wake, her entire frame visibly eased—shoulders dropping, breath evening out—but she didn't speak. Instead, she picked up her phone and dialed Ian's number.

Ian arrived quickly. After a thorough examination, he packed away his instruments, tone characteristically calm. "Just residual effects from the death-mimicking drug. The Alpha's body is fine. A few days of rest and he'll be fully recovered."

I tilted my head toward the door. Ian caught the signal immediately, withdrew from the room, and pulled the door shut behind him.

I tried to speak. My throat felt like it had been scraped raw with sandpaper, dry and burning, but I pushed past the discomfort. Worse than the scratchiness was the cold distance in Lyra's expression.

"Still angry that I kept this from you? I'm sorry. I mean it."

I broke the silence, but she shook her head. Then she lifted her gaze to meet mine, eyes bloodshot.

"Do you even know how long you were out?"

I hesitated, glanced at the dim light outside, and made a rough estimate. "A few hours, maybe? Don't worry—Ian said I'm fine, didn't he?"

"You were unconscious for three full days, Orion."

Her voice caught, a tremor she quickly suppressed. "I looked up the side effects of that drug. Severe cases can lead to permanent coma. You said you had it under control, that you knew what you were doing. Do you have any idea what I—"

She stopped, as if swallowing a word too heavy to say.

I looked at her reddened eyes and finally understood. She wasn't angry about the deception. She was terrified I'd gambled with my own life.

At the time, all I'd thought about was keeping Kaelum away from her. I hadn't considered the consequences for myself. But she'd likely spent those three days researching every possible outcome, replaying each worst-case scenario in her mind over and over.

"Of course I had it under control," I said, trying to soften the tension. "And I'm awake now, aren't I?"

She stared at me, eyes still red, but her voice no longer wavered.

"Orion, I never want to go through that kind of pain again. Not ever."

After she said it, she lowered her head and bit down on the side of my neck—not hard enough to really hurt, but enough to make my chest twist with something sharp and aching.

I knew she wasn't being playful. She meant every word.

"I promise," I said quietly. "I won't make a decision like that again."

I sat up and pulled her into my arms. She stiffened for a moment, then gradually relaxed. Her face pressed against my chest, and the hand that had been clutching my fingers finally let go, only to grasp the edge of my shirt instead.

"Don't cry," I murmured, resting my chin on the top of her head. "I swear I won't put you through this a second time."

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Lyra's POV

My face rested against Orion's chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.

It was different from that moment on the stretcher. Back then, when I'd pressed my hand to his chest, there had been nothing—only silence.

From the moment Orion collapsed, I hadn't been able to sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, all I saw was his bloodless face and the instant my fingers found his pulse and felt nothing.

On the first day, I spent every waking hour searching for information—researching the side effects of that death-mimicking drug. The more I read, the more terrified I became. Permanent coma. Irreversible neurological damage. Sudden organ failure. I couldn't accept any of it.

The next two days, I stayed at his bedside around the clock, praying countless times for him to wake up.

Now, breathing in the faint scent of antiseptic clinging to his shirt, I finally let myself relax and sink into sleep.

When I opened my eyes again, there was a wedding gown laid out beside the bed.

White satin caught the morning light in soft ripples, lace trailing from the hem all the way to the train. I stared at it for several seconds, half-convinced I was still dreaming.

"Lyra."

Orion's voice came from the doorway. He'd already changed into his formal attire—a charcoal gray suit, his tie hanging loose and undone around his collar. He walked over, leaned down, and pressed a kiss to my forehead.

"The wedding we never had—I'm giving it to you today."

The stylist worked quickly, pinning my hair, applying makeup, arranging the veil. Everything was executed flawlessly.

When I stepped out of the room, I found that the familiar lawn at the estate had been transformed. White roses and silver ribbons swayed gently in the morning breeze. Each row of chairs had small moonstone pendants tied to the armrests, glinting softly in the sunlight.

The Moon Goddess priestess standing beside the altar inclined her head toward me.

Everything looked exactly as it had before—except this time, there was no empty space waiting at the end of the aisle. This time, Orion was there.

He stood at the altar, tie now properly knotted, head tilted slightly as James murmured something in his ear. A faint smile played at the corner of his mouth. When I reached him, he turned, that smile still lingering—but the way he looked at me had changed. His eyes were full of warmth and tenderness.

As I passed Isolde, she stopped me.

She reached out and placed the necklace—the one that marked the Luna—around my neck once more. The moonstone pendant settled against my collarbone, cool and heavy, just as it had been the first time she'd given it to me.

"Kaelum is dead," she said quietly, her voice low enough that only I could hear. "No one can replace this necklace now. Even though it once brought you harm, I still want to pass it on to you."

She paused, her fingertip brushing lightly against the pendant.

"Lyra, I believe you will be a worthy Luna."

I lowered my head and touched the necklace. It had nearly killed me once, but it was also the heirloom of every Luna in the Blackwood family. From Isolde to every Luna before her, each had worn it when they stood at this altar.

I met Isolde's gaze. "This time, I'll guard it properly. I won't let anyone replace it again."

At the altar, Orion extended his hand toward me.

The priestess placed a moonstone atop our joined palms. The stone glowed, soft silver-white light spreading from our clasped hands to the spaces between our fingers, enveloping them completely.

When Orion leaned down to kiss me, my mind went blank. Every thought was consumed by him—I couldn't even make out what the guests were cheering.

Below the platform, Rowan scattered flower petals everywhere. Sera stood beside Bran, faint bruises from the collar still visible on her wrist, but her smile was radiant.

After the ceremony, I carried a glass of wine down to toast the guests.

Rowan was the first to rush over, tugging at my skirt and spinning in a circle. "This dress is even prettier than the one you tried on at the estate!"

Cian leaned nearby, raising his glass in Orion's direction with a tilt of his chin. "First time I've ever seen him look this relaxed. Lyra, what exactly did you do to him?"

I was about to joke with them when I noticed my father standing at the edge of the crowd, his expression starkly out of place amid the celebration.

I excused myself from Cian and Rowan and walked over to him.

When he saw me approach, he hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Lyra, I may need to leave early."

"What happened?" I asked.

"Garrett just called. A group of wolves broke into our territory and abducted several of our people."

"They moved fast. Garrett spotted something on the surveillance footage—one of them was wearing the Blood Moon insignia."

My grip tightened around my glass without thinking.

Kaelum was dead. But the Blood Moon Cult hadn't crumbled with his death. They were launching a desperate counterattack.