The Lunar Queen Chapter 40

Lyric POV

“What did you do to them?” Summer screams.

“I killed them,” I say plainly. I don’t raise my voice. I don’t need to. The words land heavy enough on their own.

“How? You are nothing,” she retorts.

“Actually, I am your Lunar Queen, and this freak is our moon goddess’s daughter reborn—the most powerful werewolf to walk the earth,” I say, stepping closer to the cell. The title still feels strange in my mouth, but not wrong. Never wrong.

I unlock the door and walk inside.

“How did you do that?” she asks, fear evident on her face.

My voice blends with Nova’s. “We are Eloise reborn, our powers unlimited—we are the Lunar Queen,” we say. The sound of us together fills the space in a way my voice alone never could, and judging by the way Summer flinches, she feels it too.

“How?” she asks.

“Not important,” I reply, grabbing her by the throat. Her skin is warm under my hand, her pulse frantic, and for one ugly second all I can think is how many times I dreamed of having her exactly like this.

“I’ve never been weak, Summer—just smaller than you, but never weaker.” We say. “You tried to break us and couldn’t stand the fact that you never could. We are a goddess and Queen. We will not be broken,” we declare. Every word steadies me more, like saying it out loud locks it deeper into my bones.

“Seris, come forward,” we command.

“My sister, I am so sorry. I tried to get her to stop, but she wouldn’t listen to me,” she says.

“I will release you, my sister. I love you, and I will see you in the future,” I say. And I mean that part. For all the pain wrapped up in this body, her wolf was never the thing I hated.

I place my hand on her forehead, releasing her from her body, and Summer drops to her knees.

She looks up, confused. “Wait, why didn’t I die?” she asks.

“Did you think you’d get off that easily, sister?” I reply. I tilt my head slightly, watching her the same way she used to watch me when she knew something bad was about to happen.

“Oh no, you shall feel every ounce of pain you made me feel before I kill you—which I will. You will never escape this cell, and I will deliver every ounce of pain all at once.”

Everybody around me gasps as every wound she ever inflicted on me begins to appear on her, starting with that broken pinky. She screams in pain as each wound manifests on her body.

“Every time Mason did something for me, I paid the price. Back then, I was even smaller than you and you took advantage of that,” I say calmly. And that’s the part that shocks them—the calm. Not because I don’t feel anything, but because I feel all of it and still don’t shake.

I know she’s at her breaking point when her screams become gut-wrenching.

I hear sobs behind me. “I’m sorry, sisters. If you want to leave, please, go,” I say.

“We are not crying for Sunny; we are crying for you,” Winter says.

“Her screams were yours. Her pain was yours,” Aria adds, tears streaming down her face.

“It’s okay. She’ll feel every ounce of it,” I say calmly. The words should hurt more to say than they do, but all I feel is the cold certainty that this is overdue.

Cole comes up and wraps his arms around me. “You’re blocking me, princess,” he says in my ear.

“I know. I’m sorry, my love. I just didn’t want you to feel that,” I reply softly. Because once I let him in, he’ll feel all of it—the rage, the grief, the sick satisfaction—and I’m not sure which part will hit him hardest.

“Take down the wall, my love,” he urges.

I lower my walls, allowing him to feel all my emotions and in my head.

“You’re not alone anymore, my love. We are a team,” he links us. The second he says it, some of the tightness in my chest loosens. Not all of it. Just enough.

I turn my attention back to Summer. I smile as the slices from Savannah appear on her body next.

“You know, I could never understand why you hated me so much. As I got older, I realized you were jealous of me—and how people treated me compared to you. But that wasn’t because of me; that was because of you,” I say.

“Lyric, please, I am sorry I hurt you,” she cries.

I slap her across the face. “Shut up. I don’t want your apology. All I ever wanted was my sister,” I say. My palm stings after, but not nearly enough.

“All you had to do was love me and accept that Mason didn’t see you the way you wanted him to,” I add.

“I’m done talking to you. You only got what you deserved. Now I am finished with you,” I say, pressing my forehead to her, causing her to scream in pain, before her body drops to the floor. The second she drops, something tears through me too—not regret, not mercy, just the brutal finality of losing blood even when that blood tried to destroy me.

I drop with her, screaming from the familial loss. It rips out of me before I can stop it, sharp and ugly, because no matter what she was, she was still mine first.

Cole picks me up and carries me out of the cells.

“Today is your birthday, let’s celebrate while we still can, my queen,” he says as we walk out.

“Well, now that all the heavy stuff is out of the way, how about some fun?” I say to the group. My voice is lighter on purpose. I force it there because if I sit in what I’m feeling too long, I might drown in it.

“Babe,” I add, looking at Cole.

“Yes, my queen?” he asks.

“I’m fine now, please put me down,” I say.

“But carrying you makes me feel better,” he responds, pouting.

I give him a deadpan look and send a spark to his hand, making him release me. I jump and land on my feet.

“What the hell was that?” he asks.

“Just a small electric shock,” I shrug. And if I smile a little while saying it, that’s my business.

“Oh, this is going to be fun back at home,” Elias says, laughing.

“I’m sad I will miss Cole being put in his place,” Aria says.

“You do know I’m standing right here, and I am still your King,” Cole says.

“Are you seriously pulling the king card right now?” I ask, raising a brow.

“How about we go skating at the rink?” I suggest. “We all have some time before lunch, and I want to get into the pool tonight,” I add.

“Is that all you want to do today, princess?” Cole asks, coming up behind me. His breath brushes the side of my neck, warm and familiar, and some part of me immediately relaxes into it.

“Yeah, we’re leaving for the palace in two days, and I want to spend some time with Mason, Hunter, and the rest of the guys now that Summer is out of the way. I haven’t gotten to spend time with them in a long time,” I say.

“Yeah, and now my little sister is all grown up and is our future Luna Queen,” Hunter says, putting his arm around my shoulders.

“Have you seen your mate yet?” I ask him as we walk toward the pack house.

“I have not seen her yet, but I know she is here. I have scented her,” he says.

“She is great. I can’t wait for you to meet her,” I add.

“Can I stop in the dining room? Although I went in at breakfast, I didn’t actually eat. I just need a snack or snacks until lunch,” I say.

“How do you know about my mate?” Hunter asks.

“I saw her with you when I healed you this morning, same way I did with Aria and Mason,” I reply. The answer comes easy, but I can still feel everybody adjusting to the fact that this is just a thing I can do now.

“Elias is also going to meet his second chance today, which I’m excited for because I absolutely love her,” I say.

“Who is she?” Elias asks.

“You will see,” I reply.

“Tonight is going to be great. Best birthday ever,” I say. And I mean it in that exact moment, even with everything still sitting raw under my skin. Maybe especially because of that.

“I need to go see Aunt Ava first,” I add.

I walk into the pack house and am tackled by my brothers as soon as I arrive.

“We are so happy to see you, half-pint,” Jace says.

“I love you guys too,” I respond.

I heal both of their souls as well, and when they look at me, I just wink.

“Yeah, bros, our sister is special and a Queen,” Hunter says, laughing.

“I’ll be right back,” I say, heading to the elevator.

“I’ll go with you,” Winter says.

“I will be back, my king,” I say to Cole as he bends down to kiss me.

“I can’t believe everything worked out this well,” Winter says. “I’m happy you don’t hate Mason,” she adds.

“I could never hate him. None of this was on him, and he is with the one he was always supposed to be with,” I reply. There’s still ache there, but not bitterness. Not anymore.

When we walk into the alpha suite, Auntie Ava is sitting in a chair by the window.

“Auntie,” I say softly, and her head whips toward me.

“Lyric, my sweet girl, I’m so happy to see you,” she says.

I just hug her, healing her soul and body.

“It is you,” she says smiling.

“Yes, you and Uncle Liam were right all along,” I reply.

“I’m so happy for you, and you are a Queen,” she says. “I wish you were going to be my daughter, but having you here as my niece is enough,” she continues.

“Aria is perfect for him; she complements him perfectly,” I tell her.

“I know, she will make a great Luna,” she responds.

“Thank you for healing me; I needed it,” she says.

“You all did, and everything is okay now. Even I, all the scars are gone,” I say.

“That is great,” Auntie Ava responds.

“Lyric, our mates are acting like babies and whining for us to hurry up,” Winter giggles.

“Your father is still like that today,” Auntie Ava tells Winter.

“Happy birthday, my sweet girl,” Auntie Ava says, cupping my cheeks.

“Thank you,” I reply.

“You girls go enjoy your day,” she says, standing and ushering us out of the room.

When we get back downstairs, I notice Hunter has found his mate.

“Yay, you found her! I’m so excited,” I say.

I walk over to them, and I hear Cole suck his teeth. I stop and look at him.

“I can’t believe someone made you King, being this pouty,” I say, rolling my eyes.

“It’s been a year; I missed you,” he whines.

“It will be even longer if you don’t quit acting like a pup,” I reply.

“Men,” I mutter, shaking my head and turning my attention back to Hunter.

“Felicity, it’s so good to meet you,” I tell her.

“Oh, hi. Have we met?” she asks.

I smack my forehead. “Shit, forgive me. I forgot you don’t know me. I’m Lyric, your new sister-in-law and also your new Luna Queen,” I say, curtseying.

“Oh, Your Majesty, it is nice to meet you,” she begins, but I cut her off.

“None of that. We are family, no need to be formal here—only at the palace around the stiffs,” I say, and she laughs.

“Eli, your mate is walking downstairs right now,” I announce as a beautiful redhead, just like me, comes down the stairs and stops when she sees Eli.

“Mate,” they both say at the same time.

I squeal in delight. “Oh, today is perfect,” I say. “Four more to go,” I add.

“Do you all need more time, or are we ready to head to the skating rink?” I ask.

“Princess, I thought you were hungry,” Cole reminds me.

“Oh, right. Food. Duh. I got too excited about all the new mated pairs,” I say, heading toward the dining room.

I stop in the kitchen, and Mary begins crying the moment she sees me.

“Oh, Lyric, I’m so happy to see you. I hope this is the last time you scare me that way,” she says.

“Yes, it is. Oh, and I want you to meet someone,” I reply, pulling Cole next to me.

“Oh, Your Majesty, it is an honor to meet you,” Mary says, bowing.

I laugh. “Mary, this is my mate, Cole,” I say.

“Oh, dear, you are mated to the Alpha King. Congratulations! I knew you were meant for greatness,” she replies.

“Can we go feed you now?” Cole asks, sounding annoyed.

“Oh, yes. Eat, child,” Mary says, pushing us out.

After we all eat, we pile into the cars and head to town for the skating rink.

For now, everything feels normal.

But the problem with normal is that I know exactly how fast it can be taken from me.

And somewhere underneath all the laughter, all the teasing, all the small, happy pieces of this day, that feeling is still there—quiet, patient, and wrong—like something hasn’t finished with me yet.