The Lycan King’s Hybrid Queen
Chapter 11

Lyric

"But what if your mother doesn't like me?"

"Harmony," Theo chuckles. "My mother will love you. She knows how long I've waited to replace you, and she will cherish you just as I already do."

His mother might love Harmony, but I guarantee she won't be able to stand me. I'm not the most approachable person, and it's easy for anyone to see the moment they meet me.

After almost losing it at the hospital earlier, Thane decided it was time to leave. If it weren't for Harmony calming me down, I would have lost control.

Harmony promised to keep in touch with Alisha, but I can't see myself doing the same. I'm not angry with the woman for trying to replace us. It was nice that she cared enough to do so, but I'm not in a place where I need anyone else in my life. There's a lot I need to deal with and many thoughts I need to get out of my head before I can have a normal life.

I hadn't realized we'd need to take a plane to get to the island of Lykos. It was a four-hour flight, then two hours of driving. We still have yet to reach the castle, but Thane said it wouldn't be much longer.

The driver pulls up outside a gatehouse, and I stare out the window. I can't help gawping at the castle on the hill. It's an actual fucking castle! I didn't think Thane meant a real live castle when he explained where we'd be living.

'Oh, my Goddess!' Harmony's voice fills my head. 'It looks like Hogwarts!'

"Hogwarts?" I ask out loud. "Really, Harmony?" My sister giggles, and I can't help chuckling because she's such a child sometimes.

"What's Hogwarts?" Theo asks as the gates open, and our driver moves forward.

"Hogwarts is the castle named in the popular book about a boy wizard, Harry Potter," Harmony explains to her mate and mine. Theo and Thane look thoroughly confused.

"So a witch wrote a book about her world?"

"No, Theo," Harmony shakes her head. "A human wrote the story. It's fiction, her idea of what the wizarding world would be like. It's a great story. Our mother read the books to us when we were kids; then we watched the movies when they came out. They were brilliant!"

Harmony is right, and we loved those stupid movies. The last thing we ever watched was Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince. We haven't seen TV since Emily died. "Wait, there's a movie?"

"Eight." Harmony clarifies, and Theo shakes his head. "Because the seventh book was made into two films. They were huge when they came out. They may have come from the human world, but our mother allowed us to see them. It was something special we shared with her."

Theo wraps his arm around Harmony and kisses her head. "Then we shall replace these movies and watch them together." Harmony screeches in excitement.

I watch her momentarily, confused at how she can be so at ease when I'm still so uncomfortable with this whole thing. I guess I'm a little envious. "Brace yourselves," Thane mumbles. "Mother is on the doorstep."

Oh, Goddess!

My stomach turns over, my heart bangs, and my mouth is suddenly dry. The woman standing outside the massive oak doors is stunningly beautiful. She doesn't look much older than Thane, but that's due to Lycan genes. Lycans do not age past twenty-five, and werewolves between twenty-eight and thirty, depending on their rank.

Thane's mother has long auburn hair, falling in waves down her back. She's tall, probably five-eleven, wearing a beautiful burgundy dress with long sleeves and hitting the floor at her feet. She's wearing an intricate necklace that sparkles even from this distance, and her bright blue eyes are mesmerizing.

Theo exits the car first, then helps Harmony out.

"Try not to worry, Lyric." Thane smiles as I look at him. "You are Queen here, and no one is above you. You are worthy, so command the respect you deserve from all around you. Do not be afraid, Lyric."

"You have too much faith in me. But I'll try to be the woman you need me to be."

I don't want to embarrass Thane. But all of this is new to me, and I'm bound to mess up sometimes.

"Listen to me," Thane takes my hand in his, something that would freak me out if anyone other than Harmony were to touch me. However, I like that I don't fear Thane's touch. He's my mate, and it would be awkward if his touch repulsed me. "I have faith in you because I can see your worth, Lyric.

"I'm not going to pretend everything will always be easy. We're royals who rule Lycans and werewolves the world over, so there will be hurdles for us to jump many times. But the fact remains that you are my Queen, and I wouldn't have it any other way." I smile; shyly because I can't help myself. It's nice to be appreciated.

"Now, are you ready to meet my mother?"

I nod, even though I am in no way ready. But there's no time like the present, so they say.

Thane helps me out of the car, and my eyes instantly land on my sister and the fact that Thane's mother is hugging her like a mother welcoming home her daughter.

The woman pulls away from Harmony and immediately hugs Theo. "I can't believe you finally found her."

She's British. I wasn't expecting that.

'She's Scottish Aspen laughs.

'That's still British, Aspen.'

'Call her that, and she'll probably smack you. This woman is, Goddess only knows how old, probably two hundred, so she'll want to be known as Scottish. Don't you know Scottish people fought the English for their freedom?'

'How would I know that? When would I have had the chance to learn?'

'You're hopeless. My wolf mumbles. 'The name Thane originates from Scotland.'

'How do you know this stuff when I don't?'

'Guess I'm smarter than you.'

'B.itch!'

"Thane, my darling."

"Mother," I watch as they embrace. I hear Thane whisper in his mother's ear, but it's too low for me to make out, even with my wolf hearing. His mother nods, pulls out of his arms and looks at me with a smile. "Mother, I'd like you to meet my mate, Lyric. Lyric, this is my mother, Moira." "It's nice to meet you." I offer a smile, but not my hand.

Moira smiles. "It's a pleasure, wee one. Both my sons met their mates at the same time, twins at that! I never thought such a thing would happen. Goodness, wait until your father gets home; he'll go nuts! Anyway, I must prepare for dinner. I'll see you all in a while." I watch, amused, as she lifts the skirt of her dress, turns her heel, and rushes inside the castle.

Thane chuckles.

"Theo, take your mate to your room, settle her in, and prepare for dinner. Blaze?" The man Harmony said was Thane, and Theo's cousin appears out of nowhere. "Go catch up with your parents, then meet us at dinner." Blaze tips his head and then walks away.

Thane takes my hand and leads me inside; Harmony and Theo have already disappeared. The castle is beautiful, with all gray stone, high ceilings, intricate designs, and paintings of old. Harmony is correct; it resembles Hogwarts Castle, minus the moving portraits, witches, and wizards.

Are there secret passageways in this place?

'I don't know, but replaceing out will be fun. My wolf answers my thought.

Thane leads me down the super long hallway, past the spiral staircase, and into a glass elevator. The doors close with a whoosh, and I close my eyes as soon as the elevator moves. I'm not scared of elevators, but I've never been in one that's see-through, and it isn't very comforting!

Oh, Goddess, I feel sick!

"Hey," Thane places his fingertips beneath my chin and tips my head up. I open my eyes slowly and look at my mate. "There is nothing to fear, my love."

"You say that, but you're used to this; I'm not. My legs feel like jelly, my stomach is falling out of my ass, and I feel like I'm having a heart attack!"

Thane chuckles while wrapping his arms around me. I snuggle into his chest because his scent soothes me. "This is our private elevator to our floor, and no one else is permitted to use it. But you never have to use the elevator if you don't want to. However, just so you know, the stairs to the royal suite might take some time, and you'd probably want to take a break halfway up."

"Very funny," I mumble at his sarcasm.

The elevator comes to a halt. When the doors open, my eyes widen in shock because I see a room as big as a house! What the fuck?

On one side of the room, there's a living room area. There's a sofa, TV, coffee table, etc., and looks super cozy. French windows open up to a large balcony, and I can't wait to sit out there and watch the sun go down. On the other side of the room, there's a gaming system, a real man cave, as my Dad would have called it.

Thane then leads me further into the room and through a white door. The bedroom is gorgeous, but I gulp at the size of the four-poster bed. It looks like you could sleep half a dozen people in that thing! All the fixtures and fittings in this place are fantastic, a little olde worlde, a little modern-just my taste.

Thane points out another door, which leads to the bathroom. I gulp because everything in the royal suite is massive. The bathtub, which I can't wait to sink into, is big enough for two. Then there's the shower, so large you could fit four people in the cubicle at the same time. There are two side-by-side sinks and a toilet so sparkling you could eat off it - well, you know what I mean.

We walk back into the bedroom. "What do you think?"

"It's definitely something," I mumble, eyes still looking all around, drinking in everything I'm seeing. "Thane,"

"I know," He smiles. "You're not ready for physical contact, and I'm okay with that. You need some mental health help, and I will ensure you get that, Lyric.

"As for everything else, whenever you're ready, baby. But I need to be near you, even if it's just sleeping in the same bed. I promise I won't touch you, but Lycans don't do well away from their mates once they replace them. Can you give me that one thing?" I cross my arms over my chest. "Fine, but no s*x."

Thane holds his hands up and smiles. "Promise. Now, why don't we get ready for dinner? I want to introduce you to my family." I nod my head. "The left side of the closet is yours, and you'll replace it fully stocked."

"What? How?"

"I called ahead and had someone go shopping for you and Harmony. There's perfume, makeup, and what-have-you on the dresser. Underwear and nightwear are in the drawers; whatever else you need is in the bathroom." "Wow." Is all I can say because I am in awe; the man has gone all out for me!

Thane allowed me to shower first after showing me how to use it, and he went to speak to someone. I didn't wash my hair because I already did that today.

I exit the bathroom to replace the bedroom empty, thankfully giving me time to pick a dress for dinner. I see a beautiful midnight blue knee-length dress. It's cut above my b****t, so it doesn't show cleavage, which I love. It's also long-sleeved and feels fantastic against my skin.

Underneath all the clothes in the closet are rows and rows of shoes. I replace a pair that matches my dress perfectly. I've never worn makeup, so I don't bother with any; I'd probably end up looking like a clown. I wouldn't know how to apply it right. I tie my hair in a high ponytail, spray some perfume and stare at myself in the mirror.

"You look beautiful."

"Shit!" I spin on the spot. "Thane, you scared me!"

"I'm sorry, baby." He kisses my forehead, and I close my eyes and let the sparks rush through my veins. "Let me shower, and we can get out of here."

I watch him leave, hear the shower start, then groan when the door knocks. I realize it could be Harmony, so I open the door.

The woman in front of me is not my sister.

"Can I help you?" I ask the blonde. She's pretty with brown eyes and a bright smile. She's also holding a baby around a year old.

"Hi, I'm Isla, and this is Ivy. We heard Thane was back, and I'm a little confused about why he didn't come to us as soon as he arrived."

"Okay?" Obviously, I don't know the answer to that because I don't know anything about the place.

"I'm not sure why you're in the King's room nor why I had to knock on the door. The door is never locked for me."

"I'm sorry, but who are you?"

"I should be asking you that!" She snaps, but before I can answer her, she tells me, "I'm the King's wife, and this is our daughter. Now, get out of my way; I want to speak to my husband!"

Wife?

Daughter?

Husband?

What?!