My Beloved Hybrid Queen

Chapter 20

Astrid’s POV

Mira approached, she was the last of the girls who approached me and she was the eldest. She was calm, composed, but her eyes sparkled with curiosity.

Her voice was soft when she spoke.

“I’ve been waiting a long time to meet the woman who could soften our brother.”

Caspian groaned quietly, and the siblings chuckled.

But Mira wasn’t teasing, her gaze softened with sincerity as she stepped closer.

“Thank you,” she said simply.

“For finding him, for loving him and for giving him peace.”

My eyes stung again, and she smiled knowingly before pulling me into a warm embrace.

“You are welcome here,” she whispered. “And you are wanted.”

After we finished speaking she moved back a little and the taller of the two princes stepped forward, Rowan.

His aura was calmer than Caspian’s, but still strong.

Soft eyes, warm smile.

He placed a hand over his heart and bowed his head slightly.

“It’s an honor to finally meet you, Astrid.”

The sincerity in his voice made my chest tighten.

He straightened and reached out, not for a formal shake, but to gently squeeze my hand between both of his.

“I’m glad you’re here,” he said quietly. “For Caspian… and for us.”

I swallowed.

“Thank you,” I whispered. “That means more than you know.”

He nodded, his smile warm.

“We’re your family too now.”

The final sibling Rylan, he didn’t walk.

He practically ran toward me.

“Finally!” he burst out, skidding to a stop. “I’ve been dying to meet you!”

Before I could blink, he grabbed both my hands and stared at me like I was the answer to every riddle he’d ever heard.

“You’re gorgeous,” he declared.

“And your aura is so bright! And you smell powerful. And..”

“Rylan,” Caspian warned.

Rylan ignored him.

“Look at you! Our sister! Our future queen! This is the best day ever!”

I laughed softly, overwhelmed by his energy but touched by his sincerity.

Then he turned to Caspian, smacking his arm lightly.

“You didn’t tell us she was this beautiful, rude man.”

Caspian rolled his eyes.

“I didn’t think it was necessary.”

Rylan faced me again, grinning.

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he treats you well. If he ever annoys you, tell me and I’ll personally deal with him.”

“Rylan,” Caspian growled again.

Rowan chuckled.

“He means well.”

“I do!” Rylan agreed proudly.

Caspian hadn’t spoken much, but when I looked at him, He was staring at his family with something I’d never seen before.

Pride.

Gratitude.

And the softest, most vulnerable expression a king could ever wear.

His mother hugged him next, whispering something I couldn’t hear.

His father squeezed his shoulder, pride glowing in his eyes.

Then Seraphina turned back to me, taking both my hands in hers.

“You are family now,” she said firmly. “From this moment forward. You are ours, just as Caspian is.”

Arthur nodded.

“You will never be alone here. You are safe. You are loved. And you are welcome.”

Tears finally streamed down my cheeks, and Seraphina wiped them gently.

Caspian’s hand slipped back into mine, grounding me.

“See?” he whispered. “I told you they would love you.”

I laughed softly, wiping my face.

“You didn’t tell me it would feel like this.”

He squeezed my fingers.

“Neither did I.”

After the warm welcome I received from his family, Caspian took me to our royal chambers and said he would be back, it felt like another world entirely, soft golden lights, floor-to-ceiling windows, velvet curtains pulled back to reveal a breathtaking view of the kingdom below. Everything seemed too perfect, too elegant, and too mine.

I stood in the center of the room, still unsure if I should touch anything. My luggage had already been arranged neatly by palace attendants, Caspian had gotten me clothes and other necessities while we were in the red mist pack. My cloak hung carefully on a golden hook, and the spacious bed looked like it could swallow me whole.

I wasn’t used to luxury.

I wasn’t used to quiet either.

My wolf purred softly in my mind.

“This is home.”

I exhaled shakily. “It doesn’t feel real.”

Just then, the door opened without a knock, there was only one person who could do that.

Caspian.

He stepped inside, removing his gloves and locking the door behind him. His expression softened the moment his eyes landed on me.

“You look like you’re trying to memorize the room,” he said, walking toward me.

“I am,” I confessed. “If I blink, I might wake up back in my little room at the Red Mist pack.”

He cupped my cheek gently.

“You’re not dreaming, Astrid. This is yours… everything here is yours.”

My heart kicked against my ribs.

He smiled, took my hand, and led me through a set of glass doors that opened onto a private balcony high above the world.

The night air was cool, perfumed with blooming night-roses from the palace gardens. Fairy lights twinkled in the distance. It felt like standing in the heart of a glowing kingdom.

Caspian rested his hands on the balcony rail and leaned closer.

“I thought you might like a quiet moment… before you officially meet everyone.”

I swallowed. “Your pack members .”

A small laugh escaped him. “Don’t be nervous. They’re good people.”

Then he added softly, “And they’re excited to meet you.”

I wasn’t sure why that made my eyes sting.

“Tell me more about your parents and siblings,” I whispered.

He glanced over at me, smiling like he’d been waiting for that question.

“Well,” he began, “you already know I have five younger siblings and you have met them .”

“Yes,” I repeated dramatically. “I barely survived being an only child.”

He chuckled. “Let me prepare you.”

“First is Rowan, he’s 25”

“The calmer one?”

“The calmer one for the first five minutes of the day,” Caspian corrected. “He’s mated, his wife is pregnant with their first child.”

“She’s his second chance mate, his first mate betrayed him, she was a member of this kingdom, a strong lycan at that, but after it was revealed she was sleeping with one of the warriors, my brother was heartbroken, I had never seen him like that before, but he had to still reject her, he couldn’t love her anymore nor could he forgive her after cheating on him. A year later after he recovered from his heartbreak, he met her Lucia when he went to the company, she was the newly appointed secretary and she was a witch. He found out she was his second chance mate, tho she couldn’t tell cause she wasn’t a Lycan, but she felt attracted to him. And that was how their love story began.”

My lips curved. “Oh. I feel really bad for him, the pain he felt when his first mate cheated on him, but I’m happy he’s with someone who loves and values him now more than ever.”

“Then there’s Rylan, he’s 20.”

“The troublesome one?”

Caspian groaned. “Troublesome is… kind. He’s the one who tries to race the royal guards on foot.”

I laughed. “I already like him.”

“He just found his mate not long ago, and she’s a vampire”

“Wow”

“My sisters…”

His voice softened. I felt the warmth behind it.

“Mira is 28, she’s gentle, calm and composed and also she’s one of our best warriors.”

“Wow, what about her mate.”

“She’s mated to Nolan.”

“Your gamma.’

“Yes and also my best friend since we were little. I’ll tell you how they met.”

“Although Nolan grew up with me, he rarely interacted with my sisters closely, except my brothers and I . Nolan trained separately under the Gamma, his father , while we trained under elite Lycan warriors. His father was also an elite warrior but he was trained separately but that didn’t stop us from being close, because we always met after training and we spared together.”

“But one day when Mira was 21 and Nolan was 23, everything changed. It happened on a stormy afternoon, inside the training hall.”

“Mira had finished sparring and was alone in the training hall, we were supposed to meet, but I sent someone else instead, Nolan.