Page 16 of Wanted By the Cartel

I hadn't understood then. I was too young, too innocent. But I understood now, especially as I felt my own children's magic pulse within me.

That night, as hunters broke through our final defenses, my grandmother performed her last act of protection. She wasn't going to let them take me. Not that time.

"Remember who you are," she whispered, pressing her moonstone pendant into my palm. "You come from a line of healers and protectors, not the monsters they claim we are. Your mother knew this. Your father died defending this truth. You need to honor their memory."

The memory of her last spell still burns in my mind—pure lunar energy, brighter than I'd ever seen, creating a barrier between me and our attackers. I watched through tears as she channeled every ounce of her power into keeping them back, giving me time to escape.

"Grandma!" I screamed as the light engulfed her. Everything was happening too fast, and I couldn't do anything to stop it.

I hated myself for being that way. I hated myself for being weak.

"Live, my darling," her voice carried on the wind. "Live and remember: your power is a gift, not a curse. They'll try to tell you otherwise, but never believe them."

Those were the last words I ever heard from her.

I ran until my legs gave out, clutching her pendant, my only connection to a family I'd lost too soon. The moon guided me through forests and cities, keeping me hidden from those whowould cage or kill me for what I was. Its light was warm and comforting. It was one of the few things that had kept me going and moving forward.

For years, I convinced myself that if I just kept running, if I stayed small and invisible, I could escape my heritage. I was wrong, of course.You can't outrun who you are.I should've known that. Perhaps, by being aware of that, things would have been different.

Zoren stirred beside me, his alpha instincts probably sensing my distress. He was going to ask me what I was thinking about.

"What's wrong?" He murmured, pulling me closer.

I placed my hand over his where it rested on my stomach. "Just remembering something," I whispered. The babies' magic pulsed in response to my emotions, making me smile despite the painful memories. They were making me feel better in my moment of distress.

"Tell me," he encouraged, and I didn't need to be convinced.

"Did I ever tell you about the night I lost my grandmother?" My voice quivered. I had never told anyone about this, not even Mae. I thought I would never feel the need to tell anyone about it, but here I was, my mind changed about that.

His grip tightened, and I knew what he was telling me by doing that. He was reassuring me. "No, but I'm here now. Tell me everything."

So, I did. I told him about growing up in our hidden home, learning the old ways of lunar magic. About my parents' deaths when I was too young to remember them—my father killed protecting us from hunters, my mother dying in childbirth after channeling too much power to save me. That was how I ended up with my grandmother.

"My grandmother used to say I had my mother's gift for healing and my father's stubborn heart," I said, touching themoonstone pendant I still wore. "She taught me everything—how to hide my power, how to heal, how to survive. But she was somewhat vague when telling me about why we were hunted."

She didn't share all the details. She wanted to spare me the bitter truth, but that was a mistake. I would have been better off knowing everything.

Zoren's hand moved to my neck, thumb brushing over his claiming mark. "Because power like yours could change everything," he explained even though I already knew about that. "The ability to channel pure lunar energy, to heal with a touch, to birth children of extraordinary magical potential... There are those who would kill to control such power."

He was right, of course. I had learned that the hard way, through years of running and hiding. The pendant at my throat hummed with stored magic—my grandmother's last gift, meant to protect me in times of greatest need.

Without it, I would be in a much more perilous situation right now. I didn't even want to think about it. I was lucky to be alive and to be with my mate.

"The hunters that night," I continued, "they weren't just any hunters. They knew exactly what they were looking for. They had spelled weapons, ward-breakers. They came prepared to capture, not kill, and they wanted me."

And not just that, but they also needed me alive. The realization still chilled me.

"They're still out there," I whispered, fear creeping into my voice. "And now, with the babies... They're going to be looking harder for me."

"I'm not letting them anywhere near you," Zoren growled, his alpha power booming through the room. "Or our children."

I turned in his arms to face him. "You don't understand. These people... they've been hunting moon-blessed omegas forgenerations. They're patient, organized. They won't stop. That's one of the reasons why I've been so careful."

"Then they'll die trying," he stated as though it was the simplest thing in the world, with the absolute certainty of an alpha protecting his mate and pups. "But first, I need to know everything. No more secrets, Lyrian. Who are they?"

I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of generations of hidden knowledge. "They call themselves the Lunar Harvesters. They believe they can extract and control our power, use it for themselves. My grandmother's grimoire had entries about them dating back centuries. They are old."

"Where is this grimoire now?"

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