CHAPTER TWO - BABY LYRA

Time passed quietly at Lunar Crest Pack.

The strange night when they found the baby at the border slowly became a distant memory.

For most of the pack, there was no mystery revolving around the little girl anymore.

She was simply Lyra.

The child who had arrived in the middle of the night with nothing but a name around her tiny wrist.

A child without a known family.

A child without a past.

And somehow, a child who had become the heart of the Blackwood family.

Months passed.

Then a year.

Then another.

Lyra grew from a tiny baby into a happy little girl who seemed to bring light wherever she went.

She was curious about everything.

She wanted to touch everything.

And if someone walked past her without saying hello, she would stare at them until they noticed her.

Once they did, she would give them a wide smile, as if she had been waiting for them all along.

The pack members adored her.

Nobody treated her like an outsider.

To them, she was Luna Seraphina's little girl.

She was Alpha Cassian's precious daughter. She had already become the most significant part of the Lunar Crest Pack.

Seraphina felt especially attached to her.

She had always loved children, but Lyra had filled a place in her heart that had been empty for a long time.

Every morning, Seraphina checked on her.

Every night, she made sure Lyra was asleep before leaving her room.

And if Lyra woke during the night, it was usually Seraphina who went to comfort her.

Cassian was no different.

The powerful Alpha, feared by many outside the pack, became completely helpless whenever Lyra looked at him with her innocent smile.

He could refuse requests from warriors without thinking twice.

He could make hard decisions for the entire pack without hesitation.

But Lyra only had to lift her little arms toward him.

And he would pick her up.

Every single time.

As Lyra grew older, her personality became clearer.

She was sweet, but she could also be stubborn.

She loved attention.

She loved being carried.

And she had already learned that a simple smile could make most of the adults around her give her whatever she wanted.

One morning, Seraphina was sitting on the floor of the packhouse while Lyra played with a collection of wooden toys.

The little girl was almost two years old now.

Her dark hair fell softly around her face as she concentrated on putting two wooden pieces together.

Seraphina watched her with a smile.

"Very good, sweetheart."

Lyra looked up.

"Good!"

Seraphina laughed.

"Yes, very good."

Lyra smiled proudly and went back to her toys.

As she turned her head, the light from the window fell across her face.

Seraphina's smile slowly disappeared.

Her eyes moved to the scar on Lyra's right cheek.

It was impossible not to notice.

The mark was deep enough to remain visible even as Lyra grew.

Seraphina had asked Mira about it many times.

The doctor had examined it carefully.

But there was no logical answer.

The scar did not look like an ordinary childhood injury.

It was too deep.

Too unusual.

And they had no clue how Lyra had got it.

Seraphina hated that part of Lyra's story.

There was so much that they did not know.

Who were her parents?

Where had she been born?

Who had been caring for her before that night?

And how had such a tiny child ended up with a scar on her face?

She had questions.

So many questions.

But she had promised herself that she would not let those questions change the way she loved Lyra.

Lyra suddenly looked up at her.

"Mama?"

Seraphina smiled immediately.

"Yes, baby?"

Lyra pointed toward her.

"Come."

Seraphina laughed.

"You want me to come there?"

Lyra nodded seriously.

"Come."

Seraphina moved closer and sat beside her.

Lyra leaned against her.

Seraphina kissed the top of her head.

"My sweet girl."

A knock sounded at the door.

Before Seraphina could answer, the door opened.

Cassian walked inside.

He had several documents in his hand, but the moment he saw Lyra, the serious Alpha disappeared.

His expression softened.

"There are my two favourite girls."

Seraphina raised an eyebrow.

"Two?"

Cassian smiled.

"Of course."

Lyra immediately stood and reached toward him.

"Dada!"

Cassian laughed.

"There she is."

He put the documents on the table and picked her up.

Lyra wrapped her little arms around his neck.

Cassian kissed her cheek.

"You missed me?"

Lyra nodded.

"Missed."

Seraphina smiled.

"She waited all morning for you."

Cassian looked at his daughter.

"I knew she couldn't survive one morning without me."

Seraphina rolled her eyes.

"Don't make her more spoiled than she already is."

Cassian laughed.

"Too late."

Lyra giggled.

The sound filled the room.

For a few moments, everything was simple.

They were just a father, a mother, and their little girl.

A knock sounded again, interrupting their family moment.

Beta Adrian Vale stepped inside, looking dead serious as if something was troubling him.

He looked at Cassian, then at Seraphina.

Then he looked straight at Lyra, his face immediately changing into a wide smile.

"What's up, little monkey?"

Lyra turned toward him.

Her face lit up.

"Adrian!"

Adrian laughed.

"Did you just call me by my name?"

Lyra nodded proudly.

Cassian looked amused.

"She's getting smarter."

Adrian walked closer.

"Come here, little monkey."

Lyra reached for him.

Cassian held her tighter.

"No."

Adrian stared at him.

"Alpha?"

Cassian smiled.

"She's comfortable here."

Adrian shook his head.

"You're impossible."

Seraphina laughed.

"Give her to him."

Cassian looked at Lyra.

Then at Adrian.

Then back at Lyra.

He sighed dramatically.

"Fine."

He handed her to Adrian.

The moment Adrian took her, Lyra wrapped her arms around his neck.

Adrian smiled.

"See? She loves me."

Cassian crossed his arms.

"She loves everyone."

"Not true."

Adrian tickled Lyra's side.

She laughed.

"She definitely loves me more."

Seraphina shook her head.

"You two are worse than children."

Adrian laughed.

He had watched Lyra grow from the tiny baby he had found at the border into the little girl in his arms.

Sometimes, when he looked at her, the memory of that night returned.

The cold forest.

The crying.

The tiny bundle.

And that strange moment he could never properly explain.

He had tried not to think about it.

Maybe he had been exhausted.

Maybe the darkness had played tricks on his eyes.

Whatever it had been, it had never happened again.

At least, not that he could remember.

He looked down at Lyra.

She was happily playing with the collar of his shirt.

"You're growing too fast," he whispered.

Lyra looked at him.

"No."

Adrian laughed.

"No?"

Lyra shook her head.

"No grow."

"Well, I'm afraid you don't get to decide that."

Lyra frowned.

Adrian laughed again.

"You really don't like being told no, do you?"

Seraphina smiled.

"She gets that from Cassian."

Cassian immediately looked offended.

"I don’t know what you're talking about."

Adrian laughed.

"Of course you don't."

The packhouse filled with laughter again.

A few minutes later, another small voice sounded from the hallway.  

"Lyra!"

Lyra's head turned immediately.

A young boy ran into the room.

It was Ethan, Adrian's son.

He was a little older than Lyra and had grown up together with her.

The moment he saw her, he ran closer.

"Come play!"

Lyra immediately reached toward him.

"Play!"

Adrian carefully put her down.

Lyra hurried toward Ethan.

The two children were already close.

Ethan treated Lyra like a little sister.

He would bring her toys and help her up when she fell.

And whenever another child tried to take something from her, Ethan was usually the first one to stand beside her.

They often argued.

Especially when Lyra decided that whatever Ethan was holding suddenly belonged to her.

But the arguments never lasted long.

Within minutes, they would start playing together again.

Seraphina watched them with a warm smile.

"They really are close to each other."

Adrian nodded.

"They've been together almost their whole lives."

Cassian looked at the children.

"Let's hope that never changes."

Adrian smiled.

"It won't."

They all wanted the same thing for Lyra.

A happy childhood.

A safe home.

People who would love her.

People who would stand beside her no matter what happened.

Nobody knew what the future would bring.

Nobody knew whether Lyra would ever discover the truth about her past.

And nobody knew why someone had chosen the Lunar Crest Pack as the place to leave her.

But for now, none of that mattered.

Lyra was happy.

She had a home; she had people who loved her and a pack that had accepted her as one of their own.

And that was enough.

Seraphina watched as Lyra laughed with Ethan.

Her eyes moved briefly to the scar on Lyra's cheek.

The unanswered question returned to her mind.

Where had it come from?

Who had hurt her?

And why?

She pushed the thoughts away.

There would be time for answers one day.

For now, she simply watched her daughter play.

Cassian came to stand beside her.

"You okay?"

Seraphina nodded.

"Yes."

He followed her gaze.

"Thinking about the scar?"

She nodded.

"I just wish we knew what happened to her before she came to us."

Cassian was silent for a moment.

"So do I."

He looked at Lyra.

"But whatever happened before..."

He reached for Seraphina's hand.

"She's ours now."

Seraphina smiled.

"Yes."

Across the room, Lyra suddenly laughed loudly.

Both of them looked toward her.

She was sitting on the floor beside Ethan, holding one of his toys.

For a moment, Seraphina forgot all her questions.

The little girl looked happy.

Safe.

Loved.

And that was all that mattered.

At least for now.

Because Lyra's past was still a mystery.

And somewhere beyond the borders of Lunar Crest Pack, answers were waiting.

Answers that nobody was ready for.

But those answers could wait.

Lyra was still a child.

And childhood should be a happy period for her.

So, for the time being, Lunar Crest Pack gave her exactly that.