The Lunar Queen Chapter 54

Winter POV

After Juliet and I leave Cole’s office with the Beta, we take them to the dining room.

“Winter, you are Alpha Vale’s pup, right?” the Beta asks.

“Yes, that’s me,” I say.

“Your father is a good Alpha. He helped my pack a lot over the years,” he says.

“Did you have a mate?” Juliet asks.

“No. My Alpha just took over from his father two years ago, but neither one of us found our mates,” he says , and there’s a quiet heaviness in his tone, like loss is sitting right under the surface.

“I’m sorry about your pack,” I say.

“It’s okay. We are wolves and we adapt,” he says , but his jaw tightens slightly, like he’s forcing himself to believe that.

When we reach the dining room, Jace and Logan are in there.

“Hey Win, where is everybody? It’s been quiet today,” Jace says.

“We will get your rooms set up, and if you guys need clothes, our omegas will come around and gather sizes for everyone,” I say.

I walk to the head omega, the one who keeps the palace running.

“Hey Shannon, got a minute?” I ask.

“Anything for our lovely Beta female and Gamma female,” she says.

“Alpha says to start preparing small care packages with food and clothes for all the displaced wolves. We will be getting a lot more,” I say , the reality of that settling heavier the more I say it out loud.

“Okay, I will also send a few of the girls to start cleaning the houses on the west side of the territory. All of those are empty,” Shannon says.

“Thank you. We are going to go help and I will come back to take everyone to their respective rooms,” I say, walking back out into the dining room.

“So now can you tell us?” Jace asks.

“Not here,” I say , my tone sharper, because this isn’t something to be said out loud where anyone can hear.

I walk back to Beta Matthew.

“Okay Beta, you guys sit and eat. I have some omegas getting your rooms together. Just make a list of all those who are mated, with and without pups, and those who are unmated,” I say.

“Thank you, Beta. We appreciate all you guys are doing for us,” he says.

“We are all part of the same Kingdom. We are at war, and unfortunately there will be a lot more displaced wolves. Let’s hope a lot more can get out like you all did,” I say , even though something in my gut tells me that won’t be the case.

“Sending prayers to the goddess,” he says.

We walk out and head to the guest wing in the castle.

“Okay, so we are at war. David has already wiped out two packs. Dom linked me a little while ago—we have traitors in the palace and David wants Lyric,” I link Jace.

“Seriously? Where the hell have we been?” he asks.

“Not sure, but you should find Lyric. She found out some new stuff about herself,” I link.

Jace and Logan go to find Lyric while Juliet and I get the rooms ready.

“I can’t believe all five of us are pregnant right now,” she says while she makes the bed.

“Yeah, me either. Lyric had a vision about it, but I thought it was for further in the future, not now,” I say.

“Bringing pups into war is scary, especially when David is killing pups,” she says.

“Yeah, I know. There hasn’t been a war in years, especially not among the wolves,” I say , and saying it out loud makes it feel even more real.

A few hours later, we finish all the rooms in the palace. We agree to meet for dinner since we worked through lunch.

I head to my room and Dom is sitting on the couch with his laptop open.

“Hey, big guy,” I say, walking over and kissing him.

“Hey, big head,” he says.

He scrunches his nose. “You smell like cleaning supplies and detergent,” he says, covering his nose.

I slap his arm. “Shut up, Juliet and I just finished getting all the guest rooms cleaned,” I say.

He laughs. “Well, go shower. We have some time before dinner, and then we have a meeting with Cole and Lyric after,” he says.

“Join me?” I ask.

He grins wide. “Oh, you know it,” he says, closing his laptop.

He scoops me up and throws me over his shoulder.

“You are such a caveman,” I say, laughing and playfully beating his back.

When we get in the bathroom, he sets me down and turns the shower on.

“Let’s take off these stinky clothes,” he says, lifting my shirt over my head.

“You are so annoying,” I say, smiling.

“But you love me,” he says.

“It’s the sex,” I say, winking.

“Burn. Being used for my assets,” he says, laughing.

“Oh, most definitely,” I say.

We get in the shower and I don’t even think about the shower. I kiss him deep.

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We stay like that, letting the shower spray over our bodies.

“You are amazing,” he says, kissing me.

“I know,” I say, winking at him.

We take turns washing each other and get ready for dinner.

When we head to the private dining room, everyone is already there.

We grab our seats and as the servants start bringing out the food, a warrior runs into the room.

“Alpha, we have a problem,” he says.

Cole growls loud.

“What now?” he says , irritation snapping into something darker, more dangerous.

Lyric POV

The meeting with the council went exactly as I expected it to go.

They don’t think I’m fit to rule the kingdom. They don’t trust my power and have concerns about abusing it.

I read all of their minds, and of all ten members only two are not working against us.

Two.

Two fucking council members are not working against the crown, and the realization sits heavy in my chest because that means the people meant to protect this kingdom are the same ones trying to tear it apart from the inside.

Cole has been on edge since the meeting. Even after going to our room and having a minute alone, I can still feel his unease through the bond , sharp and restless, like Zeus is pacing under his skin.

By the time dinner comes, we are both wound too tight.

“Hey, you okay?” Winter links me.

“We will talk later,” I link back.

She just nods.

Before we can even eat, a warrior runs into the dining room.

“Alpha, we have a problem,” he says.

Cole’s growl shakes the room.

“What now?” he growls.

I grab his hand. Sparks spread across my skin , grounding him just enough to keep him from snapping.

“There are bears at the main gate,” he says.

“They said they aren’t leaving until they speak with the King and Queen,” he adds , and the tension in the room spikes instantly.

Cole’s eyes flash to Zeus’s.

“It’s okay, my love,” I say, wrapping my arms around him , even though I can feel the shift in the air, like something bigger just walked onto the board.

Cole, Dom, Winter, and I head out of the palace and shift into our wolves, racing for the gates.

When we get there, there look to be over 100 bear shifters.

“What is happening?” Winter says.

A man walks up to us and bows low.

“My King, my Queen, we are seeking refuge, please,” he says.

He looks at me and his eyes turn to that of his bear.

“We are no threat, my Lunar Queen,” he says, bowing low again.

He drops to his knees.

“We don’t want to be a part of the war,” he says.

“Please stand, James,” I say.

He stands and locks eyes with me.

“You are his son… why?” I ask , already feeling there’s more to this than he’s saying.

“I overheard him talking to David about attacking the packs, and that is not what I want for my people. I don’t want a war, and if I’m to be the next Bear King, I need to help you,” he says.

“I heard that you have finally discovered who you really are and what you are meant to be,” he says.

“So I brought you a light witch to help you,” he says.

I smile , but Nova stirs uneasily beneath the surface.

“I think he is important to us,” Nova says.

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“I think he’s related to us,” she says.

“Focus,” she says.

I focus on his spirit but I can’t sense what she’s talking about , which only makes my unease grow.

“Can I have your hands?” I ask.

He gives them to me without hesitation.

I close my eyes and focus—and then I see it.

A faint thread.

Barely there.

A connection so thin it should have disappeared generations ago… but it didn’t.

My eyes shoot open.

“He was with the bears,” I say softly.

“Who, love?” Cole asks.

“Zachariah,” I say.

“Who is that?” Winter asks.

“Eloise and Castiel’s pup. His name was Zachariah. He was raised by the bears,” I say.

“Wait, so a witch/wolf/demi-god was the Bear King?” Winter says.

“Okay, how about we take this conversation to my office,” Cole says, placing his hand on my lower back , steadying me as everything starts connecting too fast.

“I will get everyone settled with food and shelter,” Winter says.

“Thank you, Beta,” Cole says.

We head back to the palace.

Once inside, we settle into Cole’s office.

“Explain, princess,” he says.

“When Lucian killed Castiel, the faction hid Zachariah,” I say.

I pause , piecing it together as I speak it.

“They gave him to the bears because they knew Lucian would never look for him there. He was raised by the elder who represented the bears in the faction. When he turned 18, he found his mate—the Bear King’s only cub—and he became the first wolf who was the king of the bears,” I say.

“Okay, but why did you ask for his hands to have seen that?” Dom asks.

“Nova said he was important to us. He has a very small tether of a familial bond with me,” I say.

“Who are you, Luna?” Dom says.

We all laugh , but there’s tension under it now, because none of us actually know the answer anymore.

“Honestly, I have no idea at this point,” I say.

“So we are like… as distant as you can get cousins?” James asks.

“That makes me laugh. “Yeah, pretty much,” I say.

“Well, in the spirit of finding family and new alliances… a question,” he says.

“Are you pregnant?”

Cole instantly starts growling , the sound low and dangerous, vibrating through the room.

James puts his hands up.

“I mean no harm, my King. I heard my father speaking of a prophecy involving your pups. I just wanted to know if you knew anything of it,” he says.

The fear that grips me is immediate and suffocating, wrapping so tight around my chest I can barely breathe, because this isn’t just about me anymore. They are not coming for the throne. They are not even just coming for me. They are coming for my children before they are even born, and the moment that truth settles into the room, I know with a certainty that turns my blood cold that whatever war we thought was coming… has already started.

Nova growls low in my head.

“We will kill anyone who tries to harm our pups,” she says.

“Yes… we will.”