The Rise Of The Betrayed Luna (Amorah and Holmes) novel Chapter 162

Chapter 162: The Friend She Surprisingly Needed

Chapter 162: The Friend She Surprisingly Needed

Amorah POV

I stared at the woman standing inside the entrance hall while Conrad looked equally surprised beside me.

She was tall, elegant, and carried herself with the kind of confidence that came from knowing exactly who she

was.

Then she smiled.

“Well,” she said. “That’s a much nicer welcome than I expected.”

Conrad finally recovered.

“Lyra.”

She opened her arms dramatically.

“Are you going to stand there staring at me all day?”

For the first time in weeks, I watched Conrad laugh unexpectedly.

The sound surprised me almost as much as Lyra’s arrival.

A moment later they hugged briefly, and I immediately understood they genuinely knew each other well.

Lyra stepped back and looked him over.

“You got older.”

“So did you.”

“I got better.”

Conrad rolled his eyes.

Somehow they already sounded like siblings.

Lyra finally turned toward me.

Her gaze softened immediately.

“You must be Amorah.”

I nodded.

“And you must be Lyra.”

She smiled warmly.

“I’ve heard good things.”

I glanced at Conrad.

“From him?”

Lyra laughed.

“Not a chance. Conrad never volunteers information unless someone threatens him.”

“That’s not true.”

“It absolutely is.”

I found myself smiling before I could stop it.

Within ten minutes, Lyra somehow managed to settle naturally into the house as if she had always belonged

there.

Even the twins seemed curious about her almost immediately.

Kyra arrived first. “Who’s she?”

Lyra gasped dramatically. “That’s your greeting?”

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Chapter 162 The Friend She Surprisingly Needed

Kyra blinked. “Sorry. Who are you?”

“Much better.”

Zane appeared behind his sister.

“Are you staying long?”

Lyra pointed at him. “I like this one already.”

“He says that to everyone.”

“I do not.”

“You literally do.”

Their argument started instantly.

Lyra watched for several seconds before leaning toward me.

“They’re adorable.”

I laughed. “Don’t tell them that.”

“Too late.”

The twins groaned in perfect synchronization.

Over the next few days, Lyra remained at the estate as a guest.

Apparently she had been traveling through several territories and decided to stop by while passing nearby.

At least that was the explanation she gave.

Surprisingly, I enjoyed her company a lot.

It had been years since I had another woman around regularly who wasn’t trying to undermine me, manipulate me, or compete with me.

Lyra felt easy.

Normal.

One morning she found me sitting in the sunroom with swollen feet propped on a cushion.

She stared.

“Oh, absolutely not.”

I frowned. “What?”

“Those feet need help.”

Before I could respond, she disappeared.

Five minutes later she returned carrying oils and towels.

I laughed. “What are you doing?”

“Saving you.”

The next half hour became one of the most ridiculous conversations I’d had in months.

We talked about pregnancy. We talked about cravings. We talked about terrible fashion trends.

We talked about men. Especially men.

Conrad happened to walk through midway through the conversation.

Lyra pointed immediately. “Perfect timing.”

Conrad stopped. That was his first mistake.

“What’s happening?”

“We’re discussing male stupidity.”

His expression flattened. “I see.”

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Chapter 162 The Friend She Surprisingly Needed I nodded seriously. “You’re losing.”

“I wasn’t aware there was a competition.”

“There is now.”

He left five minutes later. Neither of us felt remotely guilty.

Later that afternoon, I found myself shopping with Lyra inside the territory marketplace. Security wolves followed discreetly behind us, but for once I ignored them.

The baby had become increasingly active lately.

Every few minutes I found myself resting a hand against my stomach automatically.

Lyra noticed. “Getting stronger?”

“Very.”

She smiled. “Good.”

For a moment her expression became unexpectedly gentle.

“You look happy.”

The observation caught me off guard.

I glanced toward a nearby display.

“I am.”

And for the first time in a long time, that answer came easily.

The following week passed quickly.

Winter continued deepening around the territory while preparations for the baby became increasingly serious.

The nursery was nearly finished, and the twins had somehow convinced themselves they were now experts on infant care.

They absolutely were not.

I discovered this when Kyra attempted to explain swaddling.

Five minutes later nobody understood it.

Not even Kyra. Zane finally interrupted.

“Maybe we should wait until there’s an actual baby.”

“That’s quitter talk.”

“It’s common sense.”

“It’s fear.”

Their argument lasted through dinner.

Conrad quietly moved his chair closer to mine while they bickered across the table.

I leaned into him automatically.

He brushed his fingers against my shoulder.

The small gesture settled something warm inside me.

Later that night, after everyone went upstairs, I sat beside Conrad in the living room.

The house had become unusually quiet.

I rested my head against his shoulder.

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

I smiled softly.

Chapter 162 The Friend She Surprisingly Needed

“For this.”

He looked confused.

“The house?”

“The family.”

His arm slipped around my waist carefully.

“You built that too.”

Maybe.

But sitting there beside him, listening to distant voices upstairs and knowing the twins were safe in their rooms, I felt something I hadn’t experienced in years.

The next morning, Lyra joined me for breakfast before anyone else woke up.

We sat together drinking tea while snow drifted outside.

“I forgot how peaceful this territory feels,” she admitted.

I smiled.

“It grows on you.”

“I can see that.”

For a while we simply talked.

Nothing dramatic.

Nothing important.

Just conversation.

The kind of conversation that somehow felt more valuable than most of the secrets and investigations that had consumed my life lately.