The Lycan King’s Hybrid Queen
Chapter 57

Lyric

"They wouldn't let me stay with you." Levi sniffs while stroking his hand over my stomach.

As soon as he came running into the room, he climbed onto the bed beside me. I was leaning back against the headboard, trying to calm my baby. Harmony had left with Theo to see Adam, so it was just me, Thane, and Xale in the room until he collected Levi. The moment Levi lay his head on my baby bump, my baby settled down. I don't know how he does it, but my child certainly knows who comforts her, and it doesn't seem to be me. I know it won't always be this way. Baby girl just needs Levi for now. 'Until she's old enough to feel the mate bond. All she'll want then is Levi.

'Please don't start, Aspen; I'm too tired for this.'

'Sorry!

I stroke my fingers through Levi's blond hair in hopes of comforting him. "I'm sorry you were upset, little man. But you couldn't touch me then, and everyone just wanted to make sure you were safe as well as me."

"My daddy was mad with me." He sniffs again. I look at Xale, who closes his eyes and shakes his head with a sigh. "I just wanted to be near you so Aurora wouldn't be scared anymore." "Aurora?" Levi nods against my stomach. "You named my baby?"

He shakes his head. "She told me."

I look at Thane, who is looking at me with raised eyebrows. 'Our baby told Levi her name? Really?'

I shrug. 'I don't get how this works either, Thane. But it's not a terrible name.' I reply through our mate link. 'Unless you don't like it?'

'It's not that. Of all the names Levi could have come out with, it had to be Aurora? Aurora is my grandmother's middle name. So the fact Levi just came out with that name is curious. 'Lucy's middle name is Aurora?'

Stupid question?

Maybe, but Thane does have two grandmothers. The name could have come from either of them. I just took a guess at it being Lucy's name rather than his grandmother in Scotland. Thane nods. 'Yes, Aurora is Lucy's middle name!

'Well, I don't hate the name. Lucy is amazing, and I love her a lot; she's always so kind to me. What do you think, Thane? If you don't want to name our daughter Aurora, then we won't.' "But that's the name she wants, she told me."

Both Thane and my eyes widen while Xale chuckles.

"Sorry, guys, but Levi could hear your internal conversation. You might replace it hard to believe your unborn child's soul speaks to Levi. But he can hear her soul calling to him. They don't have conversations as you might think. It's your daughter's soul, her spirit, that speaks to Levi. Levi feels it when she's afraid, as she was when you were with Astro. When she's happy, he'll feel that too. Knowing her name? Her soul told him.

"Is this crazy? Insane? Unbelievable? Without a doubt. However, my son is a descendant of Leviathan. Levi is a God in his own right, a child with abilities the likes most will never see. Why does Levi know Aurora is his mate when she hasn't been born yet? It's a gift and a curse my bloodline carries.

"My father knew my mother was his mate the moment she was conceived. He felt her soul connect to his that very moment. Though he stayed away until she was eighteen because he needed her to mature. I knew Lia was my mate the day her mother gave birth to her. Her soul called to mine, and I knew I would do anything for her, no matter what that was.

"So, you see, it's not unusual for us to replace our mates so very early. Levi won't feel the mate bond in the romantic sense until Aurora comes of age, and she can feel it for herself."

Okay, that answered a few things and put my mind to rest. I'm not fond of my daughter's life and mate bond being set before she's even born. She won't have a choice in where her life goes. She'll never experience life before replaceing her mate because he'll always be there.

'Aurora will have a mind of her own, Lyric. She might not even want Levi in the future!

'She'll grow up with him, know he's her mate, and fall in love with him, Aspen.' 'Then what's the problem if she won't know any different?'

'I guess there isn't one. But if Aurora decides she doesn't want to be with Levi, that will be her choice. I won't have any influencing her decision either way. Whatever Aurora decides, I will stand by her through it all! 'As will I.'

Levi falls asleep against me, and Xale takes him to his room. Thane climbs onto the bed beside me, lying on his side. I turn onto my side and look at him. I see so much pain in his eyes that it's almost overwhelming.

I know Emori is waiting to see me, but she'll have to wait. Thane needs me more than ever right now, and I'm not going anywhere.

I lay my hand on his stubbled cheek, and Thane closes his eyes. "I'm so sorry, baby," I whisper while stroking my thumb under his eye. Wetness hits my fingertip, and I have to pull back the urge to cry. My nose burns with emotion as tear fall from Thane's eyes. My big strong King is broken over the loss of his sister, and my heart breaks for him.

"She's gone," He mumbles. "She's gone."

"I know, sweetheart, and I am so sorry."

My heart breaks into a million pieces when he wraps his arm around my waist and buries his head in my chest. I lock my arms around him and kiss his head as he sobs uncontrollably.

I rock him back and forth, tears falling from my eyes, and I'm trying not to sob out loud. This isn't about me; it's about Thane and what he's lost. I'm so proud of him for not hiding his pain from me. Thane is a strong man and would never show this side of himself to anyone. But he can fall apart in front of me; I'm his mate, and I will always be here to hold him strong when he can't do it himself.

"Did - did she scream?" Reluctantly, I nod my head against the top of Thane's. "Did she beg?"

"No, she didn't beg, Thane. Starr was a fighter till the end. I know you're angry that Starr sacrificed herself for me..."

"What?" He cuts off my words while lifting his head on the pillow beside me. "I am not angry about that, Lyric. I am so proud of Starr for trying to... I just wish she could have told me about Astro and what he was doing to her mind. Perhaps I could have helped her." I don't have the heart to tell Thane that it probably wouldn't have made any difference if Starr had told him. Astro had control over the girl and wouldn't have let go easily.

"Will you tell me what happened in that place?"

I don't want to talk about this yet, but Thane needs to hear it. So, I tell Thane everything that happened, every word Astro spoke, and the threats he made. I don't leave anything out because I don't want to go over it all again. I know others will need to know, but it can wait one night.

Thane doesn't take his eyes off me the whole time I speak. He holds my hand against his chest and wipes the tears I shed away with his thumb.

"Nothing is going to happen to our baby, Lyric. We will end Astro and his reign of terror. No matter what it takes, he's a dead fairy walking."

"I was so scared, Thane," I admit with a hard swallow. "I tried to get through to you, but nothing worked. If it hadn't been for Harmony coming for me, I dread to think what Astro would have done to me."

"Don't think about it, Lyric. Let's take a bath." Thane helps me off the bed and into the bathroom.

I stand watching my mate as he fills our bath made for four with bubbles and hot oils. Gently, he strips me naked and helps me into the tub. He removes his own clothes and climbs in behind me, pulling me back against him and wrapping his arms around me. "I love you, Thane. More than anything."

"I love you, too. I can't do this life without you, Lyric. I thought I'd lost you again there for a while. Then Starr's light went out, and I was just waiting for the moment yours did too."

"Shh. I'm here, Thane, and I will never leave you. I promise."

"Tristan needs me, Lyric. He's in Status Sleep, and I don't know if he'll ever wake up. My parents won't cope losing Tristan as well as Starr."

I kiss his forearm. "We'll be there for them, Thane. We'll help them in any way we can. I am right by your side, always."

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me, handsome. You don't ever need to thank me for anything. You're the other half of me, Thane, and there's nowhere I'd rather be than here with you. We'll go see Tristan and your parents once you've slept a little." "Stay with me."

"Always."