The Lunar Queen Chapter 93

Cole POV

I didn’t want to say it to Lyric but I am happy Mason is dead. I wish I didn’t have to die for her to kill him but I’m glad he’s finally dead. That thought alone makes me feel guilty because I know if things were different—if she had really lost me—she would still be mourning him too. That’s who my mate is. She loves too deeply even when people hurt her.

Lyric fell asleep right after the triplets went back to sleep. The exhaustion hit her hard. One second she was talking to me and the next she was barely keeping her eyes open. I scoop her up and lay her in our bed after I remove her clothes. She makes a soft sleepy sound and instinctively reaches for me even in her sleep.

“Cole all of us guys are in the study, come down” Dominic links me.

“Give me a minute, need to grab the baby monitor and put Lyric in the bed” I link back.

I close the door to the nursery that is connected to our room so they don’t wake her and I grab the monitor. As I walk out Elise is at my room door.

“Hey bug you okay?” I ask her.

“Can I sleep with you tonight, I want to be close to Lyric” She says.

There’s still fear in her eyes. Like she thinks if she falls asleep Lyric might disappear again.

I smile at her she wasn’t even like this with Aria or our mother. “Of course, but be quiet okay the pups are sleeping and so is Lyric” I say kissing her forehead before holding the door open for her to go inside.

I’m surprised that when I get downstairs all the remaining Alphas are here and all of my brother’s and Lyric’s.

“Beta Matthew I’m happy to see that your Alpha didn’t fall with the pack and is now mated to my sister” I say when I notice Matthew sitting with Joshua.

He chuckles “Yeah if it is okay with you and the Luna we would all like to join the Hidden Moon pack especially now that my Alpha has been bonded to the Luna as her guard” He says.

I nod my head. “Of course and if I know my mate she will want to bring in all the rogues we rescued” I say to him.

Because that’s Lyric. She could be drowning and still try to save everybody else around her.

“Dominic have we heard anything from Alpha Yuri and Alpha Warren” I ask Dom as I pour myself a drink.

“Alpha Yuri’s mate was in labor so he was dealing with that and Alpha Warren I still haven’t heard anything from the scouts i sent yet” he says.

“Send a gift to Yuri and keep me posted on what is going on with Warren” I say to him.

“Cole did you speak to your mate about the council?” Tobias asks.

I shake my head before taking a sip of my drink. “We didn’t discuss much except for the pups and Mason” I say turning to Liam. “I’m really sorry about Mason” I say to him.

Even after everything, saying it still feels strange. Mason died by my mate’s hand because he stabbed me trying to take what was never his. None of this should have happened.

He lifts his glass “Thank you, if I’m being honest with myself Alpha I saw this coming after Lyric left the pack. I never knew how deep his feelings for her was but I knew he cared strongly for her but this was more than I ever expected” He says.

We all nod at that.

“You are handling this better than I would” Alpha Orion says

“I’m holding it together for my mate and daughter, but Lyric was our daughter too and I know that she didn’t want him dead so that small part makes it easier to accept. She loved him just as much as he loved her but she was able to put those feelings aside when she found her mate and he wasn’t so I can’t blame her” He says.

That hits harder than he probably realizes because it’s true. My mate did everything right and still ended up losing someone she loved.

“You are right I guess, she broke down when it was done” Orion says shaking his head.

“Yeah regardless of who they were mated to she still loved him and it broke her to have to kill him” I say to them.

“How were you dealing with that?” Silas asks.

I shrug my shoulders “I waited so long for her that when I finally met her I was already in love with her. I met her during a real hard time in her life and I got to know her and fell even harder for her even knowing that she wasn’t mine yet. I helped her through her doubts with Mason and her feelings for him. I watched her heal from abuse and still remain strong for everyone else. I would love her through everything” I say.

Even this. Even grieving another man while laying in my arms. I would still love her through it.

“Did she know who you were to her?” Orion asks.

I chuckle at that thinking about the day I told her who I was to her. “Yes she knew because she asked why the King of werewolves was sitting in her hospital room reading a book” I say smiling at the memory that seems like forever ago.

“She applied for the warrior program and graduated high school a year early, and she figured out who I was just from my first name I knew she was smart and I asked if she wanted the truth or the version I gave her Alpha. Obviously she asked for the truth” I say shaking my head.

Hunter and Jace laugh.

“Mason was pissed that Lyric wanted you around and not him” Micah says laughing.

“Yeah he was so jealous of you” Jace adds.

“He had every right, she was his mate and it wasn’t his fault that his ex girlfriend was completely evil” I say taking a long sip from my drink.

Hunter laughs loud at that “Evil is an understatement when describing Summer” Hunter says.

For the first time in weeks the room feels normal again. No war plans. No panic. No fear that Lyric is somewhere suffering while I can’t reach her. Just family talking shit like old times.

“Is it true that she wasn’t related to you?” Orion asks

“Yes our parents kept a lot of secrets from us” Hunter replies.

“Damn that is heavy” Silas says.

“Wait so Mason was mated to Lyric and then Aria?” Joshua asks.

We all nod “Yes, Mason was mated to Lyric first and she rejected him” I say.

“What happened?” He asks and we all go silent.

“I think that you should ask her yourself, she’s not ashamed of it and would likely tell you on her own if you ask. She trusts you” I say.

He nods “Okay, so what’s the deal with the two she-wolves who look like her are they triplets” he asks.

Dominic snorts “That would be the likely explanation right?” Dominic says.

“The one who looks like her but has purple eyes that’s my mate Tabitha, she is her cousin” Tobias says.

“And the one who is taller but identical is my mate Iris that is her twin sister” Elias adds.

Henry looks confused. “How does Tabitha look like them if she is their cousin” He questions.

Tobias laughs “Our moon goddess has a funny sense of humor. Tabitha is Eloise Blackwood’s granddaughter” he says.

The room goes silent at the revelation. Hunter’s jaw slowly drops open.

“Wait” Joshua says “In school we learned about the first royal family and so on and there were no girls until Aria” He adds.

“He knows his werewolf history” Zeus says. “He will make a good mate for Aria, he was a good Alpha.”

“That is because she is the daughter of her pup with her fated mate” I say.

“Okay what in the actual fuck are you talking about, she was mated to Lucian Blackwood” Joshua argues.

Zeus laughs in my head. “Yes she was but that was after he killed her entire pack her father and her mate and forced her to be his mate with the threat of killing her child that was hidden” I say.

“The history is wrong, all of it covered up by Lucian. Her son was mated to the bear King’s only daughter and he became the bear King and they had 2 girls and a boy” I continue.

“Insane that everything we know is a lie” Joshua says low.

“Not all of it, Eloise was an amazing Queen and she did a lot for the Hidden Moon Pack and the kingdom to make up for Lucian’s tyranny” I say.

“Wow that just blew my mind, okay so the prophecy about Eloise was it real?” he asks.

Tobias laughs so hard tears run down his cheeks. “His mate is the prophecy, you lived it but it went differently because of the King’s anger issues” Tobias says after he finally catches his breath.

The room goes silent.

Zeus surges forward so fast my grip tightens around the glass hard enough to crack it.

“Why are we even talking about this. I’m going back upstairs to sleep with my mate” I say standing my anger starting to rise, Zeus pushing forward at the disrespect.

“Oh come on Cole I’m just joking” Tobias says.

Nothing about those weeks without my mate was funny to me.

“Joking about me killing the people who played a part in my mate and pups being kidnapped will piss me off and it’s been a few years since we’ve gotten into a fight Tobias but I’m certain that is not something you want” I say voice dropping low as Zeus tries to fight me for control.

The room instantly fills with tension. Every wolf in here can feel Zeus pushing against the surface.

“Calm down Alpha I wasn’t trying to disrespect you. It was a bad joke that I shouldn’t have said. I apologize” He says baring his neck although Tobias is the King in the north I am and always have been stronger than him.

I walk out before I do something I will regret and run straight into Jonathan. My anger lessens just a fraction.

“You need something?” I ask trying to keep my anger out of my voice.

“I heard what he said and I’m sorry that I played a part in her being kidnapped” he says quietly.

The guilt in his voice is real. It’s probably been eating him alive since the moment Lyric was taken.

I walk over to him and I give him a hug. “You did, but you redeemed yourself by helping her from the moment she got there” I say to him.

He nods his head slowly at my answer “You think your mom will accept me?” he asks softly.

I tap him on the back “She already has” I say to him as I continue walking down the hall.

“I will see you in the morning I’m to get in bed with my mate” I say to him.

When I get upstairs and step into the room Ellie is cuddled in Lyric’s arms. My mate somehow managed to wrap herself around both Elise and half the blankets in her sleep.

I walk over to the nursery door and open it back up. I place the baby monitor on the dresser and take my clothes off.

I climb in behind Lyric and she relaxes into me the moment I do. Her body instantly melts against mine like she can finally breathe properly now that I’m here.

I press my lips against the back of her neck and close my eyes.

For the first time since she was taken… there’s no panic in my chest. No fear clawing at my throat. No feeling like I’m seconds away from losing my mind.

My mate is home. My pups are safe. My family is whole again.

Sleep takes me instantly and it’s the first time since my princess was taken from me.