The Lycan King’s Hybrid Queen
Chapter 21

Lyric

I ran from the castle as fast as my legs would carry me. As soon as I hit the tree line at the forest's edge, I leap and shift mid-air. For the first time in five years, Aspen runs free.

I want to run and never stop. I feel so devastated by the things Harmony said. She's never spoken to me like that before, and it blindsided me.

All I have ever done is try to look out for her. I had no idea she resented me so much. I know I'm over the top sometimes, and I do order her around. But I never did that because I thought I was in charge; I did it to protect her. It never occurred to me that I was pushing Harmony too far.

When we came here, and I questioned Harmony about her relationship with Theo, I was confused. I didn't understand how she found things so easy or why she wanted a man to touch her. I know everyone is different, and I should have trusted her judgment. I should have because I'm beginning to understand how easy it is to fall for your mate.

I had no idea Harmony suffered nightmares. But I felt the emotions of them when she yelled at me. I can't read minds, but I can read emotions, which tell me what's going on with my sister. I keep that fact to myself the way I keep my ability to die and return from the dead to myself. Some things shouldn't be public knowledge.

Goddess, I'm a terrible sister. I should have been there for Harmony, to comfort her when she was afraid. But I needed to work on myself too. I thought she'd be okay with her mate; I thought she was getting to know him and that she was happy. I should have known she needed me, but she blocked her sadness from me. I never thought Harmony, of all people, would turn on me.

This hurts so much, and I don't know how to make things right between us. Harmony is right; I am selfish. If I'd gone with Astro all those years ago, our parents and aunt would still be alive, and Harmony wouldn't have suffered as she did. Now she's pregnant, and I must ensure nothing happens to her or the baby.

Thane will be upset with me, but we haven't completed the mating process, so he should be fine. I can't tell him what I'm about to do; he'd stop me. I don't want to hurt anybody, but the only way to put right what went wrong all those years ago is to agree with Astro's terms and leave with him.

But why does the thought of leaving Thane hurt so much?

They say you protect the ones you love. Sometimes that means doing things you wish you didn't have to. Life with Astro would be hell, but it's nothing I haven't lived through before. I'm a survivor and strong, so I'll be just fine in the Fairy Realm. Of course, I've never been there, so I don't know what it will be like. All I know is what my mother told Harmony and me at bedtime. Mom would tuck us in and tell us stories of her homeland.

'Now, my little fairy wolves, She'd say while sitting in a chair between our beds, facing us. She'd hold our hands and smile, so otherworldly beautiful she was. 'I come from a place far away, where trees come in colors of green, white, and blue.

'Horses are plenty, and fireflies too. Lakes and waterfalls, extravagant boats, and houses litter the land. There's also a palace, two hundred rooms strong. Everyone dresses in clothes so fancy, the likes of which have never been seen. Though every realm has tried to replicate them for thousands of years. In the palace lives a beautiful princess named Emori.

'Your sister!' I would gasp. Mom had told us about Emori many times.

Mom would smile and say, 'That's right, pumpkin, my little sister. Emori, Emily, and I were once as close as you and Harmony!

'Wow, Mommy,' Harmony stared wide-eyed. 'That's a lot.

'Very much so,' Mother nodded. 'One day, when it's safe, I will take you both to Valnor to meet Emori. She will love you so much!

'Just like Aunt Emily?' I asked.

'That's right, my baby, just like Aunt Emily. Now, close your eyes and follow the stars to that special place in your heart where you will always replace me.'

Oh, Mommy, I miss you so much.

If I could have just one more moment with my mom, I'd tell her 'thank you! She gave her life for me, and the only way I know how to repay her is by taking care of Harmony.

Harmony neither wants nor needs that from me. Now I don't know where I stand. Deep down, I know Harmony feared what I'd say about her being marked and pregnant. That hurts because she should never be scared to tell me anything.

Yes, I was shocked and a bit worried that Theo had forced Harmony. But I didn't mean to think that way, and Harmony had every right to be angry with me about that. It's natural to stand up for one's mate, and wanting her baby isn't wrong either. But am I so wrong to think everything has moved too quickly?

I know Harmony, and I are different people, but I haven't let go of my distrust for people. Harmony has always been more trusting than I am. Not all men are the same, and it's clear, even to me, that Theo loves Harmony. She will be just fine once I'm gone, and she won't have to worry about me upsetting her anymore. The last thing my sister needs while pregnant is stress, which is all I will bring her.

'You don't think running off with Astro will stress Harmony?' Aspen asks while lying down in front of the lake's edge.

'I know, Aspen, but I'm so confused right now. I don't know what to do for the best.

I look at Aspen's reflection in the water and smile. It's been too long since I saw my wolf, and I have missed her so much. We've been together since I was fourteen, aside from those few months when I couldn't reach her. 'Leaving with Astro is not what's best, Lyric. Astro doesn't just want you as his bride; there's something more going on. You have powers and abilities most would kill for, and a Fairy King could easily take them from you.

"In order to do that, Astro would have to mate with you. Once he has, the things he will put you through to gain your powers would be the worst kind of torture, Lyric.'

I groan because I know Aspen is correct in what she's saying. Going with Astro would be the worst decision in the world. There's no telling what he would do to my family, regardless of promising many times that he won't hurt those I love if I became his. I don't trust the Fairy King and never will.

But what else am I to do?

'You can stop acting like a petulant child, for one!' Aspen snaps while sitting back on her ass next to this beautiful lake, miles away from the castle. 'So Harmony snapped at you for the first time in her life, but you're a grown woman, suck it up! She just mated and was marked by a Royal Lycan, so she's no longer an Omega, Lyric.

'I thought that was a myth?'

Aspen chuckles. 'No, it's true that once a Royal Lycan marks his mate, they will gain the same rank as their Royal mate. So you see, Harmony is now a Beta.

'But I'm an Alpha!'

'And you are her sister! Harmony finally stood up to you, and though it hurt you, Harmony needed to let go of those thoughts. She loves you more than anything, Lyric, but you need to step back. You don't need to...

'I get it, okay? I don't need to worry because Harmony can take care of herself and has Theo by her side. It doesn't mean I'll ever stop protecting her!

'No one is asking you to, just to know when enough is enough. Now, no more thoughts about going with Astro. I'd never allow it anyway!

'I don't want to go with him. I wasn't thinking straight, Aspen. What Harmony said hurt me like nothing ever has. I thought she wanted me gone.

'You stupid bitch, Aspen sighs. 'Of course, she doesn't want you gone. Harmony was letting off steam, which bothered you because she's never done that before. Though some of what she said was true, Harmony didn't mean what she said about you going with Astro. Goddess, Lyric, Harmony would rather die than watch you leave with that pig. Myla is begging me to go back. She's afraid we've left for good.

I sigh and close my eyes. I don't want to go back yet; all I want is to hide in the back of Aspen's mind. She can keep control for a while because I just want some peace.

"The white wolf," Someone gasps behind us.

Aspen turns her head and growls.

I thought it might have been Thane. I know he was following me and that he's not too far away right now; I can smell his scent. But he's being a good mate and giving me time to clear my head. Though I'm not sure what he'll do about this random man approaching me. I should warn the guy that Thane is near and will tear him apart, but I can't in wolf form.

"How is this possible?" The tall, well-built, God-like man in front of us asks himself.

The man has long, wavy hair that falls past his shoulders and blue eyes, the likes of which I've never seen before. They're so pale! He's unbelievably good-looking, even with the silver scar that runs from the top of his right eyebrow to the top of his cheek. He's only wearing jeans, no shoes, no shirt, and he's carrying a sword.

Aspen's ear flatten against her head as she bares her teeth. Thane has yet to make a move, and I wonder if that means this man isn't a threat.

"Shh," The man slowly crouches down, one hand held out in surrender while placing his sword on the grass as a show of peace. "I mean you no harm. What's a beautiful wolf like you doing in Lycan territory?"

Aspen sits back on her hind legs, understanding this man means us no harm. Aspen tips her head to the side and studies the man before us. Of course, she can't answer him; werewolves can't speak in wolf form as Lycans can. Wolves communicate through the mind link, but only with those that share a connection, such as pack mates.

"I wonder where you came from. Do you even know what you are?"

He's referring to Aspen's snow-white fur. After my first transformation at fourteen, Dad made me hide my wolf from others. He said people would hunt me down, but I wasn't sure why; I just did as he said. Though I was allowed to transform in front of my parents and sister. Mom used her magic to hide me from prying eyes.

"Will you shift?" The man turns around, grabs something a few feet away, and walks toward me. He drops the shirt in front of Aspen and then turns around, respectfully giving us privacy to shift.

I do shift and put on the long shirt. "You can turn around now."

He does, opens his mouth to say something, but I don't hear his words. I don't hear anything, but I feel the agony of an arrow piercing my skin as it hits me in the chest.