The Lunar Queen Chapter 91

Lyric POV

That space he had her locked in was sick.

The smell of blood, mildew, piss and fear still clings to the back of my throat even after leaving that house. The walls down there felt wrong. Heavy. Like too many girls cried in that space and nobody came for them.

It was like he put her in there too often and smelled like it.

The look on her face told me she thought she would die there.

When we walk back to the convoy Logan growls low.

“Mate” he says eyes flashing to Drax his wolf.

He walks over to her slowly as she stands behind me.

Not cornering her. Not rushing her. Just… waiting. Letting her choose.

I smile at her.

“Ivana this is my brother Logan” I say to her.

“Logan she has been through a lot so be patient with her and she is also Mary’s niece so be good to her” I say to him even though I know he will.

He smiles.

“I will be sis I promise” he says.

She looks at me.

“My wolf wants me to go with him” She says softly.

I nod.

“Of course you can go with him, your mom is getting into the bus over there” I say pointing to where her mom is.

She nods and they both walk over to her.

Drax stays so close to her it’s almost protective already and something in my chest loosens seeing it. Maybe she really will be okay one day.

Tabitha walks over to me.

“The pups are packed up and we are ready to go” she says.

“Good, where is Rhea?” I ask her.

“She is waiting for you and Cole with the pups” She says.

“Good” I say.

“Ready my Queen?” Cole asks kissing my temple and taking my hand.

The second his fingers lace through mine my whole body settles. Safe. Home. Mine.

“So ready” I say as we walk to the cars.

The settlement burns as we walk away and all the evil David has caused is behind us.

Smoke curls into the sky behind us thick and black and for the first time since being taken I can finally breathe without feeling trapped.

We get in the car and I fall asleep on the way there.

As we pull into the gates Cole taps my arm.

“Princess we’re home” he says.

I slowly open my eyes and I gasp in shock.

The pack lands look like they were dying and the entire pack is waiting as the convoy drives through.

The grass is pale. Flowers wilted. Trees thin and brittle like the land itself was grieving.

When we reach the palace the pack gathers around us.

It’s as if the lands itself can feel my return.

The moment my feet touch the ground a gust of wind blows past and the lands begin to come to life.

Grass brightens beneath my feet. Flowers bloom along the palace walkway so fast it almost looks unreal. Wolves gasp around me and whispers ripple through the crowd.

I turn to say something to Cole when Elise runs out screaming my name.

“Lyric!” she yells running into my arms.

I catch her easily.

“Hey bug I missed you so much” I whisper into her ear as she cries into my shoulder.

“I missed you so much Lyric” she cries.

“I know my little bug, it’s okay I’m not going anywhere ever again” I say kissing her head.

The second I say it my chest tightens for reasons I can’t explain.

She lifts her head.

“Where are the babies?” she asks.

I laugh at her.

“They are right there” I say pointing to where Tabitha and Rhea are with the triplets.

I put her down.

“Go meet them” I whisper and she squeals and runs off.

I turn to see Winter and Iris walk out of the palace and my smile drops.

“What did you two do to yourselves?” I ask my tears falling before I can stop them.

Their faces are pale. Eyes sunken. They look exhausted in a way sleep can’t fix.

I grab their hands instantly and heal them.

They both gasp.

“You two are pregnant, you were supposed to take better care of yourselves for the pups” I say hugging each of them.

“You know how I am when something happens to you Ly” Winter says.

“I had just gotten you and then I lost you” Iris says.

My chest aches.

I keep forgetting my kidnapping didn’t just happen to me. It happened to everybody who loves me too.

“I’m fine and so are the pups” I say.

“Oh shit bitch you had the pups, where are they” Winter asks.

“They are over there” I say pointing towards the pups with Cole and the girls.

Cole’s mother comes running out of the palace.

“Lyric I’m so happy you are okay honey” she says kissing my cheeks and checking me for visible injuries.

I laugh at her.

“I’m fine mom Nova healed anything that was wrong with me” I say to her and she screams.

“Oh dear goddess you had the pups” she shouts.

I smile.

“Yes I did.”

I turn to walk into the palace when Aria and Luna Ava stand at the door and I can feel him before I can see him.

The air changes instantly. Heavy. Wrong.

I walk over to Aria and the Luna.

“Hello my sweet girl, I am so happy you are okay” Luna Ava says.

“Thank you Luna” I say and then I look at Aria.

She’s lost weight and looks tired more than she should be this soon in her pregnancy.

Her smile doesn’t reach her eyes.

“Hey Ari” I say walking over and hugging her and healing her at the same time.

“I’m so happy you are back” She whispers to me.

He finally decides to walk over.

“Lyric” he says breathless.

I look at him and I almost don’t recognize him.

His eyes are bloodshot. Hair messy. Dark circles under his eyes. He looks obsessed. Unstable.

“Mason, what did you do?” I ask voice cracking with every word.

He moves to step closer but I hold my hand out.

“Mason what did you do?” I ask again.

“I didn’t do anything Sunny” he says smiling at me.

That smile used to calm me. Now it makes my stomach twist.

Sparks break out across my hands as Cole laces his fingers through mine.

Mason looks down at our hands and growls low.

The sound is ugly. Possessive.

“Mason what is going on?” I ask.

“Can we talk?” He asks.

Cole growls at that and I turn and cup his cheeks.

“Hey come back to me my King, I am yours and only yours” I say to him pulling him towards me and kissing him softly.

Mason growls and Cole smirks at him.

“I told you pup she is mine and it will never be you” He says kissing me and walking back towards the pups to bring them inside.

I watch Mason’s jaw tighten so hard I hear his teeth grind.

“Ari are you okay with me talking to Mason?” I ask her.

She looks shocked.

“You’re asking me?” She asks.

“Of course, you are his mate and I care about how you feel” I say to her.

She looks skeptical but she nods her head.

“Okay” she says.

I grab Mason’s hand and lead him into the study.

When the door closes behind us he spins and scoops me into a hug.

“Sunny I missed you so much” He says.

“I’m so happy you are okay, did he hurt you?” he asks.

His grip is too tight. Desperate enough to make panic flicker through me.

“I’m fine Mason” I say to him.

“Are you going to tell me what you did?” I ask him.

He looks almost confused.

“Why do you think I did something?” He asks.

“I see it on your mate’s face” I say to him.

I step closer and take his hands.

He tries to pull them out of my grasp but he can’t.

I watch his memories since I left replay like a movie for me.

Aria crying. Mason raging. Him refusing food. Refusing sleep. Standing outside my room for hours talking to walls like I was still there. Threatening wolves who said Cole’s name around him.

I snatch my hands back anger rising.

“You think I would choose you over my mate?, you think I love you enough to watch you destroy everything. Your mate is suffering” I growl at him.

“I love you sunflower” he says gently.

“Don’t call me that” I snap.

“I AM NOT YOUR SUNFLOWER ANYMORE MASON” I yell at him.

“I AM NOT YOURS ANYMORE!” I scream tears streaming down my face in anger.

“How can you say that?, you said you would always love me” he says hurt.

I shake my head and laugh dryly.

“I will always love you Mason but those are human feelings, Cole is my mate and I love him, my wolf loves him, we have a family together” I say.

“You promised you would let me go when I gave you your memories back” I cry out.

“I am trying Lyric, but I can’t get you out of my head, every moment I lost with you I just want it all back” He says.

“You can’t get it back Mason, we lost it and we both have to live with that” I say to him.

“I don’t want to live with it, I just want you. I deserve that” he says.

Cold spreads down my spine.

“He’s obviously lost it” Nova says.

“No Mason you don’t, please you need to leave” I say to him.

“You just got back” he says moving closer.

“I don’t want you here” I reply quickly taking a step back.

I don’t know who this is but this isn’t Mason.

Not my Mason, not the boy who would clean my cuts when I fell, the boy who wiped my tears when I cried, not the boy who made me feel safe when my own family couldn’t.

“Sunny please don’t do this” He says taking a step closer.

My heart starts racing in my chest.

I take another step back and I hit the door.

The sound makes panic explode through me instantly. Trapped.

He smiles a predatory smile and closes the distance between us.

My stomach drops. Mason has never looked at me like prey before.

He brings his hand up to cup my cheek and I turn my head away from his touch.

“Mason you need to leave now” I say and he growls.

“You were mine first” he snarls at me.

“And now I’m not, so move now” I say through gritted teeth.

“I will not let you go, I will not lose you” he says bending down to kiss me and I slap him.

The crack echoes through the room.

He smiles at me and kisses me.

“NO!” I yell and fling him away with my magic.

I step forward and the moment I do everything that happens next moves in slow motion.

Cole bursts through the door and tackles Mason just as he gets to his feet.

“Cole stop” I shout.

He has him on the floor and punches him over and over.

Blood splatters across the floor. Mason laughs through it and something about that terrifies me.

Mason manages to get him off and they throw punches back and forth before Mason pulls something out of his pocket.

Cole moves to punch Mason and he moves to lift his arm and I realize it’s a silver knife.

My entire body goes ice cold.

“NO” I scream just as he stabs Cole in his chest.

The sound that leaves Cole’s mouth destroys me.

I don’t even know what happens next.

“NO” I scream in agony and I fling Mason across the room.

The walls crack from the force. Furniture explodes apart.

I don’t pay attention to him after and I rush to Cole.

“No baby, please I’m sorry I didn’t think he would do this” I say covering his chest.

“It’s okay princess” he says.

His voice sounds weak already and panic claws up my throat so violently I can barely breathe.

I try to heal him but it won’t heal.

“No, I just got you back” I cry.

“Tabby” I yell.

“Tabby” I yell again continuously trying to heal him.

She runs in seconds later.

“Oh goddess Cole, what happened?” She asks.

“He, he stabbed him” I cry and she runs and searches for the knife.

She gasps.

When I look at the knife—

“No!, that’s the knife David killed Iris with in my vision” I cry out.

The room starts spinning. The vision. The blood. Cole dying in my arms. No. No no no.

I scream in agony.

“Please don’t leave me, I need you, our pups need you” I cry onto his chest.

“I love you princess” he says weakly as he bleeds out.

His fingers twitch in mine like he’s trying to hold on, trying to stay with me, and the bond between us shudders so hard pain tears through my chest.

“No no no please” I sob pressing my hands harder against the wound even though nothing is working.

Not after everything. Not after I finally made it home to him. Not after our babies.

Nova howls inside me as magic explodes out of my body hard enough to shake the entire palace.

And then I feel it.

My mate bond weakening.

Cole dying in my arms while I can do nothing to stop it.