The Lycan King’s Hybrid Queen
Chapter 31

Lyric

"So, you'll walk down the makeshift aisle. There will be people standing on either side, watching you arrive. Now, there will be thousands of people in all, all waiting to be awed by their new Queen. Try to ignore them if you can, and keep your eyes on Thane. Thane will be waiting for you at the altar with his father and me. Ronan will be officiating, as is tradition with each former King. As former Queen, I'll be handing over my crown to you."

I nod my head with a smile on my face when inside, I'm cringing. I've been having these lessons with Moira for the past few days, and I don't feel as though I've learned anything. It's all about etiquette, does and don't, what to wear, and what not to wear. I have to be careful of what I say in the presence of others and how I act in public. I need the people to both love and fear me but to trust they can come to me in times of need. I will have the whole Lycan and Werewolf world looking to me to guide them and help make their King stronger.

So, no pressure!

Goddess, I don't know if I can do this! I don't want to let Thane down, but I'm not sure I'm ready for this.

Moria smiles; kindly while sitting next to me. We're in the most prominent living rooms downstairs, near the front of the castle, and not either of our private chambers. We could have stayed in the West Wing. It is the King and Queen's Wing, after all. But Moria brought me here, saying it would be more comfortable, but I don't feel comfortable. I want to run back to my room and hide away for the next twenty years!

I understand Moria's thinking about being comfortable. The room is a lot more modern than I would have imagined. Sofa's, open fire, TV on the wall, wooden floor and colossal rug, etc.

You get the picture?

"I know all of this is daunting,"

"You could say that."

Moira smiles again, and I can see she's itching to take my hand in hers. But I'm not there yet, so I push my hands between my jean-covered knees.

"It does get easier, sweetheart."

"Does it?"

My whole life has changed so much since I came here. Now, I'm going to be crowned Queen, and I'll be ruling over hundreds of thousands of people. My head is all over the place!

"Yes," Moira smiles. "It wasn't easy for me either. I was the daughter of an Alpha, deep in the Scottish Highlands. Life was easier for shifters back then. Well, to a degree." She laughs. "There were no cars two hundred years ago, and everyone traveled by horse or boat if you were traveling overseas.

"I was eighteen when I met Ronan. The King, Ronan's father, William, was originally from England. He and his mate, Lucy, moved to America in the 1700s and settled here. Just a little info for when you meet them and wonder why they haven't lost their British accents."

I furrow my brow in confusion. "They haven't lost their accents in over three hundred years?"

Moira laughs while shaking her head. "I haven't lost mine either."

True, Moira still has her Scottish accent.

"Anyway, my father's pack, Kelt Paw, was the only Lycan pack in Scotland at the time. There were plenty of wolf packs, though. Father had received word that the King would be visiting with his sons and to be ready. "Mother put on a massive spread, and the whole pack celebrated with song and dance, food and wine."

"Wait," I hold my head up. "Since when did shifters drink alcohol?"

"We have our ways. Kathien is a plant found in the wilderness, and when crushed and added to alcohol, it allows shifters to get drunk. Well, at least be merry."

Huh. I've never heard of such a thing. All Dad ever told me was that shifters couldn't get drunk like humans because of our fast metabolism. Maybe I'll try this Kathien plant. Then again, maybe not.

"So, what happened?" I'm genuinely interested in Moira's story. Her telling me about her past reminds me of the stories Mom would tell Harmony and me. I like it; it makes me feel better.

"Well, the King arrived with his twelve sons."

"Twelve?"

Were they mental?

Who the hell would want that many kids!?

"Yes," Moira nods. "William had left his seven daughters at home with Lucy."

Nineteen kids!?!

In-fucking-sanity!

"My father introduced my mother, older brother, then me. As the eldest son, Ronan was the first to shake my hand. The moment he did, everything changed. Ronan growled, 'Mate!' He kissed me before I knew what was happening. We spent two days getting to know one another. I showed him my homeland, and he said that as beautiful as it was, nothing was as beautiful as me." Moira giggles like a schoolgirl, giddy in love, and I can't help smiling. I hope Thane and I are still as in love in two hundred years.

"But then he had to leave, and I had to decide whether or not to return to the States with him. I chose not to." What the?

How?

"I know what you're thinking." She chuckles. "I was afraid of leaving everything I knew behind. I'd only had two days with Ronan. He hadn't marked me because that wasn't how it was done back then. The King had to perform a marking ceremony, and the Queen would have to officially meet me first. Tradition." She shrugs.

"Anyway, I said goodbye to my mate, knowing we'd never meet again. I cried in my mother's arms, and she managed to convince me not to give up the other half of me. She said we'd see each other again and that nothing could keep a mother from her pup indefinitely.

"So, with nothing more than a small bag of clothes, and after saying goodbye to my family, I ran with all my might to get to the boat. I was so scared I wouldn't make it, but I did, just as the captain was boarding. I screamed, 'Ronan! Ronan, please answer me!' Even though I know they ended up together, I'm on the edge of my damn seat!

"My heart sank because it seemed he couldn't hear me. I feared I was too late, and Ronan no longer wanted me."

"What happened next?"

"I jumped off the boat and swept her up in my arms."

I twist in my seat and see Ronan walking into the room. He smiles at his mate with so much love in his eyes, kisses her, and then sits beside her.

"What I'm getting at," Moira looks at me. "Is that I had two days to learn even more than you are right now. Two days because that's when Ronan would take the throne from his father. Lucy sat with me as I am with you now, and she told me the story of how she met William. It felt right that I should tell you our story and how amazingly you're doing with all of this."

"Don't doubt yourself, Lyric," Ronan tells me. "It all seems overwhelming right now, and sometimes you'll make mistakes. But mistakes are a part of life, darling.

"Just remember, if there are times you're struggling, Moira will help you. Just as my mother helped my mate, just as I help your mate in times of need."

I smile at my father-in-law because I needed to hear that.

"Thank you, both of you. I feel much better about things now."

"That's what we're here for," Ronan winks, making me smile.

"Do you really have eighteen siblings?"

"I do, but I don't see them often. They're spread out all over the world, keeping an eye on the countries in which they reside. Well, apart from James, he stayed because he was my Beta. That's always been the way of things, right back to the first King. The eldest son will be King while the second-born son will be his Beta."

"James is Blaze's father?"

Ronan nods his head. "All my siblings and their families will be here for your coronation. But don't worry; they'll love you."

My stomach turns over. I don't know how I'm going to cope with all these people!

"Can I borrow my mate for a moment?"

"Thane!" I jump out of my seat and into my mate's arms. I didn't hear him come in, but I need him to hold me right now. "We'll leave you to it, Son."

The door closes behind Moira and Ronan, and Thane twists us and pushes me back against the wall. He pins my hands above my head while his lips attack my neck. My eyes roll to the back of my head, and my p.ussy gushes.

"Thane," I whine his name like a prayer.

His lips hit mine, our tongues battle for dominance, and I push my hips into his er.ection. Goddess, I want him!

"No!" Thane pulls away from me abruptly, raking his fingers through his hair.

What the hell?

How could he work me up like that and then stop?

"What the hell was that, Thane?"

Yes, I'm annoyed, but so what?

"Baby, I'm sorry. I want you so badly, but I need to tell you something really important. I don't know how because I know you're gonna go postal."

I fold my arms around my chest and roll my eyes.

"Right now, only two things would do that, Astro's here, or The Witch escaped. As neither of those things happened... What is it?"

"The Witch escaped."