MasukChapter 365LUMINAI moved to sit on the bed again, my legs suddenly feeling unsteady. "Okay. Okay, let's back up. Start from the beginning. Does Zade know about this possibility? That male werewitches can... can get pregnant?"Lyn shook his head, still hovering near the door like he might need to make a quick escape. "No. It's very rare. Like, extremely rare. And it's been a secret kept by werewitches for a very long time. There was no reason to tell him. Or maybe there was a reason not to tell him. I don't know. The pack might not accept this. Other packs definitely won't accept this. It's complicated.""Complicated," I repeated faintly. "That's one word for it."My mind was racing, trying to understand the implications of what he was telling me. Male pregnancy. In werewitches. A secret kept hidden for generations.And Lyn thought it might be happening to him."How rare are we talking?" I asked, latching onto the practical details because my brain needed something concrete to proce
Chapter 364LUMINAThe strategy meeting had barely ended when Lyn grabbed my arm with surprising force and practically dragged me toward one of the guest rooms. I barely had time to exchange a confused glance with Xenois before we were in the hallway, moving fast enough that I had to jog to keep up."Lyn? What's going on?" I asked, but he didn't answer. Just kept pulling me along with single-minded determination that was completely unlike his usual calm, measured demeanor.We reached a guest room at the far end of the hall—one of the ones we kept for overflow visitors, rarely used. Lyn pushed me inside and immediately closed the door behind us.Then locked it.The click of the lock engaging sent alarm bells ringing through my head."Okay, now you're freaking me out," I said, watching as he leaned against the door like he was blocking an escape route. "What's wrong? Is someone hurt? Is there new intelligence about Jerome? Did something happen with—""I need to talk to you," Lyn interru
Chapter 363XENOISThey continued like this for the next thirty minutes. Calling the parents of every alpha who'd refused to join the coalition. Using guilt, logic, veiled threats, and strategic reminders of past failures to convince the elder generation that their children were making dangerous mistakes.It was simultaneously impressive and horrifying to watch."Your mother is terrifying," Lyn whispered to me."Now you understand why I turned out like this," I whispered back.The results started coming in almost immediately.My phone rang first. Alpha Morrison, sounding significantly less confident than he had during our previous call."Alpha Blackwood," he said stiffly. "I've reconsidered your coalition proposal. My mother has convinced me that coordination might be... strategically valuable.""I'm glad to hear it," I said, trying to keep the smugness out of my voice. "We'll send you the security protocols and communication channels.""Appreciated," he said, then hung up quickly lik
Chapter 362XENOISOllie settled into the corner with what looked like a deck of cards and some kind of notebook. Riley and Lake joined him, the three of them immediately absorbed in whatever activity they'd been working on."What are they doing?" I asked suspiciously."Learning valuable life skills," my father said vaguely. "Don't worry about it.""That's not reassuring.""It's not meant to be reassuring," my mother said. "It's meant to be vague enough that you can't technically complain about anything specific. Now, what's the problem? We heard groaning and frustration from downstairs and decided to investigate.""The problem," I said, "is that we're trying to build a coalition to counter Jerome's conspiracy, and eight of the alphas we've contacted have refused to cooperate. They'd rather maintain traditional isolation than work together for mutual defense."My mother and father exchanged glances—one of those wordless communications that came from decades of marriage."Which eight?"
Chapter 361XENOISThe war room—which was really just my study with extra chairs crammed in—was packed with every important person we could gather on short notice. Zade sat at my right, looking exhausted but focused. Lumina was at my left, taking notes on everything being discussed. Carol, Marcus, Thorne, Rivers, Lyn, and Lynn filled the remaining seats, with a few others standing along the walls.Spread across my desk were the documents my parents had stolen from Jerome's planning room. Lists of names, territories, dates. A comprehensive map of coordinated attacks targeting progressive supernatural leaders across the entire western region.It was worse than we'd thought."This isn't just revenge," I said, studying the documents for probably the twentieth time. "This is a systematic attempt to eliminate anyone pushing for change. Anyone advocating for integration, for breaking down old hierarchies, for accepting previously marginalized supernatural groups.""Jerome didn't just target
Chapter 360 ZADE"Grandma and Grandpa have been sleeping almost the whole time," Ollie said innocently. "I've been keeping watch to make sure they're okay.""Thank you, sweetheart," Lumina said, moving to check on them. "That's very responsible of you."I caught Lyn's eye and saw him struggling not to laugh. We'd just witnessed Samuel and Silvia teach their grandson how to lie to his parents, drink alcohol, cheat at poker, and cover up their questionable behavior.And somehow, it was the most wholesome thing I'd seen in weeks.Because underneath all the chaos and the inappropriate life lessons and the absolutely terrible grandparenting choices, there was genuine love. Samuel and Silvia adored Ollie, and he adored them right back. They'd risked everything to try to protect their family. They'd survived captivity and torture and nearly dying because they refused to give up.They were complicated people with checkered pasts and questionable judgment, but they were trying. And in their o







