The Lunar Queen Chapter 67

Cole POV

The moment Lyric walks off with Caleb, I instinctively shift into Zeus, who’s visibly agitated.

“Something isn’t right,” he mutters.

His unease bleeds straight into me, sharp and restless, like he’s tracking something just out of reach.

“We can’t focus on that now.”

It takes us ten minutes to handle all the rogues and clear out the throne room.

Too easy. Too fast. Like this was never the real attack.

I turn, searching for Dominic, and I collide directly with Serena.

“Not now, Serena,” I growl.

But she doesn’t flinch; instead, she raises her hand and blows something in my face.

Zeus roars fiercely inside my mind.

I inhale instinctively, tasting the powder.

I turn to Serena, concern etched on my face.

“My love, are you okay?” I ask softly.

The shift is instant—violent—like something just snapped my thoughts into a different place.

She smiles warmly up at me.

“Yes, honey, I’m fine,” she replies, gripping my arm.

We step out of the throne room toward my office.

“I need to find out who breached the borders, love,” I say, my voice tense.

“I’m sorry, my love. I was just so scared,” she admits, pushing me onto the couch.

She leans in, kissing down my neck, and my skin prickles.

The contact feels familiar—but not right in the way it should. It doesn’t settle Zeus.

“Are you okay, my love?” she asks gently.

“Yes. Meet me in our room. I’ll make sure everything’s under control before I head upstairs,” I reply.

She smiles brightly. “Okay, love,” she whispers, kissing me softly.

She walks out of the office just as Dominic, Elias, James, Xavier, Mason, and Hunter step inside.

“Where’s Lyric?” Hunter asks at once.

My brows furrow. “Who?” I ask.

The name doesn’t land. Doesn’t connect. Like it should mean something—but it doesn’t.

“My sister, the queen, your mate,” Hunter clarifies.

I shake my head. “Serena is my mate.”

Mason and Hunter immediately growl loudly.

Their aggression hits Zeus instantly—territorial, threatening.

I stand sharply. “Who the fuck are you growling at?” I demand.

“What did she do to you?” Dominic presses.

“She didn’t do anything to me. She is my mate,” I reply firmly.

“No, Cole. Lyric is your mate,” Elias corrects. “We just crowned her queen less than twenty minutes ago.”

The words clash in my head—don’t line up—don’t make sense—and it irritates the hell out of me.

“James, get your witch in here,” Dominic commands. “This has to be magic. We need to fix this now. And where the hell is Caleb?” he adds.

We sit in my office for forty-five minutes as the witch arrives, carrying a bag full of herbs.

“Okay, what’s actually wrong?” she asks.

“He’s saying a woman who isn’t his mate is his mate,” Elias explains.

“She is my mate. You all already know this,” I insist.

The certainty is there—but it feels forced. Like it’s sitting on top of something else.

“Oh, that’s an easy fix,” she says.

She pulls out a clear liquid, crushes something into it, and hands it to me.

“Drink this, Alpha.”

“Do it, Cole,” she urges.

I drink the entire contents—

—and suddenly everything is crystal clear.

It slams back into place. The bond. Her scent. Her.

I growl loudly, on the verge of shifting.

“Serena was a distraction. Where is Caleb?” I demand.

Rage hits instantly—hot, violent, uncontrollable.

“Nobody has seen him since everything started,” Dom replies.

“What the fuck do you mean? He was supposed to be taking Lyric somewhere safe,” I snarl.

“Get Julie in here now,” I order, barely holding onto control of Zeus.

“They took our mate,” Zeus growls inside my mind.

The word mate hits like a trigger—mine—ours—taken.

“And Caleb helped them,” I retort.

A knock sounds at the door.

“Enter,” I bark.

“You called me, Alpha,” Julie says, her neck already bared as my aura fills the room.

“Where the fuck is your mate?” I ask, walking closer to her with authority.

“My Alpha, I don’t know. He linked me before everything went south and said he would find me afterward,” she replies.

“Link him NOW,” I order.

“He has me blocked, Alpha,” she says, her voice trembling.

That’s all Zeus needs.

“Your mate has been deemed a traitor. He helped the rogue king kidnap your queen and my mate,” I growl.

I grab her by the throat.

“Did you help him?” I demand, claws tearing skin.

She quickly shakes her head.

“No, Alpha. I didn’t know he was planning anything. I would never hurt Lyric,” she sobs.

Her fear is real. Her scent doesn’t shift. She’s telling the truth.

“Lock down the palace. Patrol the entire grounds. Find out how they got in. Get camera footage of the throne room, halls, ballroom—all of it. Name every guard patrolling the borders. Send scouts out immediately to find my mate,” I command.

I storm out of my office and head straight for the council chambers, certain they’re involved.

They knew. I can feel it.

I walk in to find them whispering nervously.

“Where is she?” I snap, advancing.

“Your majesty, what do you mean?” Frances asks, eyes darting around.

He smells like fear. Fresh. Sharp. Guilty.

“Dom, close the doors. Make sure no one gets in,” I order calmly.

“Yes, Alpha,” Dom responds, locking us in.

“I’ll ask one final time before bodies drop,” I say, voice low and commanding.

“Where is my fucking mate?”

I seize Jed by the throat.

“My king, I don’t know where your mate is,” he stammers, fear in his eyes.

“Wrong answer,” I reply, tearing his head from his shoulders.

No hesitation. No second chances.

“Does anyone else want to lie to me?” I ask, advancing toward Councilman Henderson.

“Where is she, Henderson?” I demand, slowly closing in.

He shakes his head. “I don’t know, my king. I swear,” he mouths.

“Wrong again,” I say, ripping through his chest and dropping his heart to the floor.

“You thought you could betray me, that David would save you? That you could plot against me and take my mate without consequence?” I sneer as I walk toward Senora.

“Where. Is. My. Mate,” I demand, dragging each word out.

“I don’t know. We only facilitated getting her into the tunnels; the gamma handled the exchange,” she states.

Facilitated. The word locks in. Confirms everything.

“Not good enough,” I reply coldly.

I rip her throat out. She gurgles briefly before I let her go.

Moving to Alden, I demand, “Where is my mate, Alden?”

“I don’t know, your majesty. We were only responsible for distracting you and getting her into the tunnels,” he responds.

“Dom, check the tunnels behind the throne room. That’s how they took her,” I order through the link.

“On it, Alpha,” Dom replies.

I slash my claws across his throat.

I eliminate the other five council members—denied involvement or not, they failed to stop it.

Only Frances remains.

I give him a cruel, commanding smile.

“This all comes down to you, Frances. I know you know where my mate is. I know you know where Caleb is. Tell me everything, and I will end you quickly,” I say, bloodstained clothes emphasizing my threat.

His fear spikes—pure, choking.

She was right.

“Your majesty, I don’t know where they are,” he says, backing away cautiously.

I nod sharply. “Where is Caleb?”

“He’s in the caves behind the bridge by the lake, hiding until everything calms down,” he replies.

“Where are the runes?” I demand.

His eyes widen. “You know?” he asks.

I smile coldly. “Of course I know. I know exactly who my mate is,” I assert.

“Tell me,” I command, grabbing him by the throat.

“On the northern edge of the territory, twenty feet underground, protected by magic,” he states.

“Good.”

“Your daughter will be joining you soon. You thought she could trick me with magic—I will rip her head from her body,” I threaten before tearing his head from his shoulders.

I roar in frustration as the doors open.

The sound tears out of me—rage, loss, and one singular focus—her.

Dom looks around. “I will get this cleaned up,” he says.

I walk out, resolute.

David thinks he has won,

but he took what’s mine.

And I don’t lose what belongs to me.