Chapter 118: BABY RENA
It started at two in the morning.
Not with a sudden, movie-like panic, but with Lyra waking up to a deep, visceral shift inside her body. Her instincts knew what was happening before her mind even had to process it.
She lay still for a beat, letting her breathing settle as another small, tight wave pulled low in her belly. She reached out, placing her hand flat against Ronan's warm chest.
"Ronan," she whispered.
He was awake before the word fully left her lips. That raw, primal Alpha instinct snapped him from dead sleep to totally present in less than a second. His gaze locked onto hers, dark and intent.
"It's time," she said softly.
He was already moving, swinging his legs over the side of the bed.
Two doors down, Nara was already awake. She hadn't been asked to stay nearby, but she knew the timeline. Two doors was close enough to be right there the second things started, and Nara wasn't the type to waste time walking down long hallways when work needed to be done.
She slipped into the room just as Ronan pulled his shirt on. Her eyes swept over Lyra, taking in her posture, her skin, the heavy heat rolling off her. Nara’s hands were fast and deliberate as she checked her, decades of healer instincts taking total control.
"Good," Nara said, her tone calm and steady. "Early stage. We have plenty of time." She shot a quick look at Ronan. "Get clean water and the kit from the medical room. Move."
He went without a word.
Nara leaned over Lyra, checking her eyes. "How are you feeling?"
"Ready," Lyra panted, a flush of heat creeping up her neck. "Scared. But ready."
"Good," Nara said, a faint, knowing smile touching her lips. "Both are right where they need to be."
Outside, the packhouse was slowly coming alive.
Nobody had to make an announcement. The quiet, intense pulse through the pack link was enough...a low, rhythmic thrum carrying through the bond that pulled everyone up from sleep. They knew something big was happening inside the house, and they felt the pull to be near it.
By two-thirty, Kade was standing in the hallway, his hair messy and sticking out in four directions. He looked like he’d been sound asleep thirty seconds ago, but his eyes were wide and completely focused on whatever needed doing.
Ronan handed him a quick list of tasks. Kade gave a sharp nod and took off.
Down near the east staircase, Cole was already fully dressed and waiting. Ronan gave him the border protocol: total lockdown. Nothing in or out tonight without direct orders.
In the kitchen, Brennan had the stove lit and water warming up before anyone even asked. He knew that when real work happened in a packhouse, the kitchen had to run hot and ready.
And right outside the door stood Zara.
She didn't ask to come in. She didn't crowd the room. She just stood there, arms resting loosely at her sides, a quiet guard post for as long as it took. Lyra felt her presence through the heavy wood door, a wave of comfort settling over her chest.
At three in the morning, Elena walked in. She had been staying at the packhouse for days, ever since Lucifer's visit. No one questioned why she stayed; when Elena decided where she needed to be, people simply let her be there.
Elena exchanged a quick, sharp look with Nara...a silent, professional language between two women who knew exactly how to handle high-stakes moments. Then she walked up to the bed, framing Lyra’s face in her warm palms.
"I'm here," Elena said, her thumb running gently over Lyra’s cheekbone.
"I know," Lyra breathed, leaning into the contact.
"Whatever you need," Elena murmured, her dark eyes holding Lyra's tightly.
"I know."
Elena held her gaze a second longer, gave her a reassuring nod, then stepped back to let Nara manage the room.
Ronan stayed right outside the door.
Lyra had asked him to wait there. Not because she didn't want him close, but because the raw intensity of the labor was drawing every ounce of her focus inward. Having his heavy, protective energy right beside her bed would make her worry about him and how he was handling it, and she couldn't afford to split her attention.
He had understood instantly. Before stepping out, he leaned down and pressed a deep, firm kiss to her forehead...hard, slow, and full of unspoken promises.
Even through the solid door, she felt him. His presence through their bond was a hot, steady anchor, waiting right on the other side. She held onto that heat while her body did its intense, brutal work.
For four long hours, time stretched and dissolved.
Nara and Elena moved together seamlessly, their combined skill keeping the room grounded. As the intensity peaked, the power inside Lyra flared up...sweat glinting on her skin, a soft, golden warmth humming visibly beneath her hands. Nara noted the glow without missing a beat; she was used to extraordinary things in this house.
At one point, when a hard contraction pulled Lyra tight, Elena simply grabbed her hand and squeezed, letting Lyra lean into her strength.
At six in the morning, Rena arrived.
She didn't cry at first.
For two seconds, the room went completely still. Then came a sharp, clear sound...not a wail of distress, but a strong, loud declaration that she had arrived.
Nara caught her gently, wrapped her up, and brought her right to Lyra’s chest. The healer’s face, usually so composed, broke into a soft, stunned look of pure wonder.
"She's here," Nara whispered.
Lyra looked down, her chest heaving as she held her baby skin-to-skin.
The first thing she saw were the eyes. They were a striking, clear silver-grey, exactly like her own. The baby was looking around the dim room with intense focus, wide awake and taking everything in.
The second thing was the power.
Rena’s tiny hands were warm...a soft, golden light hummed faintly under her skin. It wasn't a violent flare, just a natural, quiet warmth resting inside her. She hadn't just inherited the Moon-Blessed power; she was born completely wrapped in it, passed down from mother to daughter through the bond before she even took her first breath.
Lyra gently cupped those tiny, warm fingers. The golden light hummed in response, a subtle pulse of electricity as her own power recognized her child's.
Rena looked right up at Lyra's face, her silver eyes locking on with total focus. She already knew this heartbeat. She had been listening to it from the inside for nine long months.
"Hi," Lyra whispered, her voice breaking into a soft, thick tone she didn't even recognize.
Rena made a tiny, deliberate sound in her throat, shifting her weight against Lyra's warm skin.
Lyra closed her eyes for a brief second, holding back a rush of hot tears. "I know," she murmured softly. "I've got you."
Nara walked over to the door and pulled it open.
Ronan was standing right there. He hadn't moved an inch from that spot in four hours, his whole posture tight with pure willpower.
Nara met his eyes. "Come in."
He froze in the doorway for a second, his breath catching as he looked at Lyra lying on the bed with their daughter resting against her chest.
He crossed the room in two long strides and sat on the edge of the mattress. Lyra carefully lifted the baby into his arms.
Ronan took her with extreme care, his large, calloused hands supporting her small body like she was the most valuable thing in the universe. His entire frame seemed to soften, his shoulders dropping as he held her close.
Rena lifted her head, those silver eyes locking onto his face. She knew this voice too. Lyra remembered all those quiet late nights when Ronan thought she was sleeping, resting his hand over her bump and speaking to the baby in a low, deep rumble.
Rena reached out one tiny, gold-tipped hand and pressed her warm fingers against his jawline.
The small spark of light flickered softly against his skin, recognizing the thick bond that tied Ronan to Lyra.
Ronan stayed completely still, letting her hold his jaw.
His face broke. The stern, guarded mask he always wore melted away entirely. No stoic Alpha control, no calculated calm...just total, overwhelming love taking him over completely. A rough, shaky breath escaped his chest as he stared down at her.
Lyra watched him from the pillows, saving the sight deep in her heart.
Downstairs, a message popped up on a phone at six forty-seven.
It was from Lucifer, a single blunt line sent to Elena: Is she here?
Lyra saw it later while resting in bed. Ronan was still sitting nearby in the armchair, holding Rena close and refusing to put her down.
Lyra picked up her phone and typed back: She's here. She's perfect. Come next week.
She set the phone aside and looked back at her family. Pale morning light was filtering through the window, washing over the fields and the pine trees outside.
Down the hallway, she heard Kade trying...and failing...to walk quietly.
"Kade," Lyra called out softly.
The footsteps stopped. "Yeah?" his voice cracked slightly.
"Get in here," she said.
The door swung open. Kade stood there, looking at Ronan holding the tiny baby. He let out a choked, emotional sound, unable to hide a single thing he was feeling.
Lyra smiled at him. "Come meet her."
He stepped inside, and right behind him, one by one, the rest of the pack quietly followed them into the warm room.