The Lunar Queen Chapter 22

Mason POV

The next morning, after forcing myself to spend the whole night with Summer, I get ready to go to the hospital to see Lyric.

Even thinking about it makes something in my chest tighten, like I can’t get there fast enough—and at the same time, like I don’t deserve to go at all.

I can’t wait to see those beautiful green eyes again. I just want to feel her soft lips again. The first time was too fast.

Too stolen. Too messy. Not enough.

Kane whimpers in my head.

I link Hunter on my way downstairs.

“Where are you?” I ask.

“In the dining hall, we’re all about to head over to see Lyric. Winter said she’s up and talking,” he links back.

Up. Talking. Alive. The words should settle me—but instead they just make the urgency worse.

“Cool, I’m coming,” I say.

“Mason, I don’t know if that is a good idea,” he links back.

That irritation sparks instantly, sharp and defensive, like everyone suddenly thinks they know what’s best for my mate.

“I’M COMING,” I roar through the link.

“Yes, alpha,” he says.

I close the link afterward.

I don’t want to hear anything else. Not when every second I’m not there feels wrong.

When we get to the hospital, Kane is pacing in my mind.

Relentless. Agitated. Every step I take, he’s pushing harder, faster—closer.

When I get to her room, Kane loses it.

“GET OFF MY MATE,” I roar out.

The words rip out of me before I even process what I’m seeing—before I even realize how it sounds.

The moment she hears my voice, my heart shatters, and she breaks down.

Not just crying—breaking. Folding in on herself like something inside her just snapped again.

It’s like she’s back in that moment.

“Please, please, I’m sorry, I tried to stay away,” she cries.

Her tears break me.

That’s not fear of them. That’s fear of me. And that realization hits harder than anything I’ve felt yet.

I move to walk to her, and she tries to climb the wall behind the bed.

Like she would rather tear herself apart than let me get close.

Cole had to grab her.

“GET OUT,” he growls, the command washing over me.

It hits different coming from him—stronger, heavier—but it’s not the command that stops me. It’s her.

When he calms her down, he walks out and up to me, and punches me square in the face.

The impact snaps my head to the side, copper flooding my mouth instantly—but I don’t even react. I barely feel it.

“Let me tell you something, pup,” he says through clenched teeth, eyes flashing to his wolf.

“I do not tolerate disrespect, especially from a pup who is barely an Alpha, your MATE that you care so much to remind everybody is yours is fucking scared of being in the same room as you. The moment she heard your fucking voice, she was back in that moment. You seen that for yourself, she almost lost her life and needs comfort, healing, and space—not an entitled pup having a tantrum because he can’t be near his mate. SHE CAN’T EVEN FEEL YOUR BOND YET. So right now, the only thing you are to her, ALPHA, is the cause of all her suffering her whole fucking life. Now LEAVE,” he growls in my face.

Each word lands heavier than the punch. Slower. Sharper. Because I can’t deny any of it.

Hunter looks at me like I lost my mind.

“You just made everything worse for yourself. Good job, Mason,” he says, walking into her room and closing the door in my face.

The click of that door feels final. Like something just shut between me and her—and I don’t know how to open it again.

Kane roars in my mind and forces the shift.

Cole POV

The moment I step back into her room, Winter walks up and hugs me.

She doesn’t hesitate—just moves straight into me like she needs something solid to hold onto.

“Thank you, I’m not sure why but you’re helping her,” she says through tears.

“She just needs time; all of this was a lot for her,” I reply.

Time. Space. Safety. Things she clearly hasn’t had in a long time.

“I’m sorry I had to punch your Alpha,” I say to Hunter.

I’m not really sorry. But I respect him enough to acknowledge it.

“He honestly deserved it; he just sees his mate, not everything around it,” he responds.

That’s exactly the problem.

“She’s never going to be able to accept him,” Winter says quietly.

Her voice isn’t angry. It’s tired. Like she already knows how this ends.

“Nothing will fix the role he has played in her life, no matter how much he tries to make up for it,” she adds.

“She’s going to reject him,” she says with so much sadness in her voice.

That word lands heavy in the room. Final. I feel Zeus shift at it, paying attention now.

“He loved her his whole life and doesn’t even realize that he lost her again,” she says, tears streaming down her face.

Lost her again. Not almost. Not maybe. Already.

“Your mate needs you, come to the hospital,” I link Dominic.

“On my way,” he responds, cutting the link.

I pull her into my arms.

“It’s okay, Dom is on his way,” I say softly.

She relaxes just slightly at that—like part of her has been waiting for him without even realizing it.

“Thank you,” she replies.

“How are you so sure she’s going to reject him?” Hunter asks, sitting next to Lyric’s bed.

“Because she almost died and has been getting abused by her twin sister because they both loved each other. Mason will never forgive Summer for taking his mate from him,” she adds.

There’s too much history there. Too much damage. Bonds don’t survive that cleanly.

“Good morning, Alpha. Do you mind if my brothers and I use your training grounds?” I link Alpha Liam.

“Not at all, your majesty,” he responds.

“Meet me on the training grounds; I need to blow off steam. Dom is with his mate,” I tell both of them.

If I stay here too long, I’m going to do more than punch him. And that won’t help her.

“Good, so do I,” Elias responds.

When we all arrive at the training grounds, Xavier walks up with a pretty brunette with hazel eyes.

“Guys, this is my mate Amira Stone. She is Alpha Stone of Blackridge Pack’s daughter,” he says.

“Nice to meet you, Amira. I’m Cole,” I say, holding my hand out for her shake.

“Nice to meet you as well, Your Highness,” she says, shaking my hand.

“Please, we are family now. Call me Cole,” I reply.

Her grip is steady. Confident. She’ll fit in just fine.

“Hey, bro, I hope you don’t mind, I told her about your problem,” Xavier says.

“Nah, she’s family, that’s why we’re here,” I respond.

“Eli, what’s going on?” I ask.

He just growls loudly, almost shifting.

The sound is rough, unstable—like his control is hanging by a thread.

“Do it, Cole,” he grits, trying to gain control over his wolf, Deimos.

“Calm yourself, Deimos,” I say, letting the command wash over him as gently as possible.

I don’t force it—I guide it. Let him find control instead of ripping it from him.

When he calms down and catches his breath, he growls out,

“She’s my mate.”

“Who?” Xavier asks.

He lifts his head slowly, eyes dark, rage simmering just under the surface.

“That evil bitch, Summer,” he snarls.

And for a second, nobody speaks.

Because now it’s not just one bond tangled in this mess…it’s two.

And if Elias is right—then the girl who almost killed Lyric…

is also fated to one of the strongest wolves in the kingdom.