The Lunar Queen Chapter 17

Lyric POV

It hurts to breathe, every breath feels strained and borrowed, like my chest doesn’t want to expand anymore and I have to force it every single time. It’s hard to focus on anything, like my thoughts won’t stay still long enough for me to hold onto them.

I keep hearing voices that sound distant and muffled—blood loss, freak, silver, words drifting in and out like I’m underwater and can’t reach the surface.

Then there’s only pressure. Always pressure, heavy and constant, pressing down on me like I’m being held in place.

My back feels like the skin is burning away. The throb, the fire, like something carved into me won’t stop spreading.

Please, Lyric.

I hear the chains on the swing set, a youthful laugh, faint and soft, like a memory trying to pull me somewhere safer.

The pain shoots through me like paper catching fire, fast and sudden, stealing whatever calm I almost had.

Lyric.

The voice sounds familiar and safe, like something I should recognize even if I can’t fully place it.

I’m so tired, so heavy I don’t even know if I can move if I tried.

Meant for more.

I don’t know where I am or how long I’ve been here, but I need to get back to Nova—I can feel her, faint but there, like she’s reaching for me from somewhere I can’t quite get to.

Fight, she whispers, or I whisper, the line between us blurring until I don’t know whose voice it really is anymore.

Winter POV

I didn’t get any sleep last night, and I got to the hospital as soon as I woke up, like being anywhere else felt wrong. I need to be here when she wakes up. Tomorrow is her birthday, and we had so much planned, and the thought of that happening without her makes my chest tighten.

“Lyric, you have to wake up; who else am I going to talk to about the hot Alpha King and his Beta?” I say, trying to make myself feel better, forcing my voice to sound lighter than I feel.

“The king has a bunch of tattoos, and so does the Beta. Actually, they all have a bunch of tattoos. Oh my god, Lyric, they are so hot. Just wait until you see them,” I add, talking a little faster than normal just to fill the silence.

“Please wake up. We’re supposed to celebrate your birthday at a club tomorrow; you promised,” I whine, my fingers tightening around hers without me realizing it.

“Don’t think your being in a coma is an excuse not to go out with me,” I say, laughing through my tears at how ridiculous I sound, the laugh catching halfway like it doesn’t know if it should exist right now.

“Today is Hunter’s birthday, but the pack is in a mood after yesterday. Some of the packs started arriving for the ball on Saturday. I hope they can’t feel the sadness in the air because I feel it,” I say, because it’s everywhere, thick and heavy and impossible to ignore.

“I washed your hair, combed, and braided it for you. I couldn’t have you laying here looking crazy with all these hot royals walking around,” I say, trying to sound normal, like this is just another day.

“hoping she can hear us,” Vega whispers.

“Me too,” I reply, because I need her to hear me, even if she can’t respond.

“Auntie Liz said the King found you. Oh, I wish you weren’t unconscious when he carried you in those giant arms because I would need all the details,” I say, fanning myself, leaning into the distraction because it’s easier than thinking about why she’s here.

“You are a horn wolf,” Vega says, laughing at me.

“His Beta is off the charts hot. Girl, wait until you see him. Those blue-gray eyes are beautiful,” I say dreamily, letting myself drift for a second just to breathe.

“Well, I’m glad you like them so much, sweetheart,” I hear a deep, amused voice say.

I turn around and see the Alpha King himself and his Beta standing behind me, smirking, and my entire body locks up before my brain can catch up.

“How long have you been standing there?” I ask, beyond embarrassed, heat rushing straight to my face.

“Would you like me to carry you in my arms to see how it feels?” the king says jokingly, holding out his arms.

I put my hands in front of my face.

“Oh, kill me now,” I groan, dragging my hands down slowly because I know they’re still looking at me.

“It’s okay, honestly. We walked in on your private moment with her, but we do appreciate the compliments,” he says, winking at me.

“You must be Winter,” the king says.

“Yes, that is me,” I reply, trying to recover some kind of composure.

“You look pretty young to be the king of all werewolves, your highness,” I say, really looking at him, taking him in now that I’m not completely panicking.

He smiles at that.

“Please call me Cole. I am pretty young. I just turned 20 a few months ago,” he says.

“Woah, I thought you guys don’t become the king until you’re old,” I say.

That gets a laugh out of both of them, and that Beta’s laugh gave me chills in a good way, and I have no idea why, like something about it sticks longer than it should.

“Actually, it’s been more common in their mid-20s, but my dad felt I was ready at 18, even though I didn’t have my mate,” he explains.

“That’s cool. You can get rid of a lot of these old, stuffy ways in packs,” I say.

“No offense to your dad,” I add.

He laughs again.

“None taken,” he says.

“Did you guys need something?” I ask.

“No, we just wanted to come see how she was doing,” Cole says.

“Thanks, she is doing okay. The doctor said they flushed all the silver out of her blood, stitched her back up, and now we just wait. The rest is up to her,” I say, and saying it out loud makes it feel more real than I want it to.

Cole walks up to her bed, touches her hand, and brushes a piece of hair from her face, his expression shifting slightly, more focused, more serious than before.

He leans down and whispers something in her ear, then stands.

For a second, something in the room feels different—subtle, but there.

“We will take our leave. Please let us know if she wakes up,” he says before they walk out of the room.

Oh my god. What the fuck just happened? The king of werewolves just told me to call him Cole. Excuse me.

“Come on, girl. Please wake up,” I say, holding her hand in mine, my thumb brushing over her knuckles like I can bring her back just by touching her.

Because for a second… when he touched her…

it felt like something shifted.

And I don’t know if that’s a good thing… or something we should be worried about.