LOGINHazel’s POV The throne room felt so cold. The massive hall was silent and the air itself felt heavy, thick with tension and judgment. Every alpha, every council elder, every high-ranking member of the kingdom sat in complete silence waiting for one thing. Judgment. I sat on the throne beside Nicholas, my fingers resting lightly against the armrest while his hand stayed possessively over mine. Even without looking at him directly, I could feel the dangerous calm radiating from him. Nicholas looked terrifying. The king sitting beside me no longer looked like the teasing man who argued with me. This was the Alpha King. The ruler everyone feared. His face was unreadable as he stared at the woman kneeling in chains before us. Liora. Her hands and legs were bound tightly with silver chains designed to weaken wolves. Bruises covered her wrists where she had obviously struggled against them. Her once beautiful hair looked tangled and dirty, her clothes were torn. She looked nothing
Nicholas’s POVHazel still hadn’t woken up.Morning sunlight poured through the large windows of the hospital room, warming the floor and the edge of the bed, but none of it eased the tightness in my chest.I sat beside her with my fingers wrapped tightly around hers, watching every tiny movement like a madman. Every breath she took, every twitch of her fingers, every small sound had my full attention.The doctor had already come twice to examine her and both times he said the same thing.“She’s fine, Your Majesty. Her body is only exhausted.”I leaned back slightly in the chair, rubbing a tired hand over my face. I tightened my grip on her hand unconsciously. “You scared me,” I muttered quietly, staring at her sleeping face. “Do you know that?”Her brown hair spread across the pillow while sunlight kissed her skin softly. It was hard to believe this same woman had killed one of the most feared siren generals in existence only hours ago. A small laugh almost escaped me because my mat
Nicholas’s POVIt felt like my heart had stopped working.My wife.He had taken my wife.And we still didn’t know where the fuck he took her.“Where is she?” I asked for what felt like the hundredth time, my voice rough and broken from screaming. “Where the fuck did he take her?”Dillian looked just as frustrated as I felt, but that didn’t stop the rage clawing through me.“I don’t know,” he said again, breathing hard as seawater dripped from his silver hair. “Every siren has a hidden place beneath the sea. Sanctuaries nobody else knows about. Even family members don’t know all of them.”I dragged a hand through my hair violently.The ocean stretched endlessly in front of us, dark and cold beneath the moonlight.Too fucking big.Where were we even supposed to start looking?My chest felt tight. Like someone had shoved their hand inside me and was crushing my lungs.Hazel was out there somewhere.Pregnant. Alone.And I couldn’t do a damn thing.I had never felt this useless in my entir
Hazel’s POV“I’m pregnant!”The words tore out of my throat before I could stop them.The fork froze inches from my chest.For one single second, everything went still.The ocean stopped roaring in my ears. The water stopped shaking around us. Even the rage burning in Dillian’s father’s eyes flickered.Something human flashed there.Shock.Pain.Maybe even memory.His grip on the weapon loosened slightly as he stared at me. At my stomach.I sucked in a shaky breath, my heart slamming wildly against my ribs. I had bought myself time. Barely.Then his expression darkened.Darker than before.“A child?” he said softly.The way he said it made cold fear crawl through me.“You think that would stop me?” His voice rose violently, echoing through the ocean like thunder. “Why would I let you live so you can bring another one of you into this world?”Venom dripped from every word.The hesitation vanished from his face completely.“You’re a monster,” I whispered.Something fierce exploded insid
Hazel’s POVIt happened all too fast.One second I was standing on the battlefield with Nicholas and the others, power still crackling around me. The next, a crushing cold slipped deep into my bones. The world blurred, and when my vision cleared, I was no longer on land.I was underwater.Tall, dark rocks surrounded me like prison walls. Strange, ancient statues covered in barnacles watched silently from the shadows. The water was freezing, pressing against my skin like icy hands. My lungs burned for air until something inside me shifted. My legs fused together, scales rippling across my skin as my tail formed. I gasped…but this time water filled my lungs without choking me. I could breathe.Dillian’s father floated in front of me, his massive tail moving slowly, powerfully. His eyes held nothing but pure, burning hate.“Nobody can save you now,” he said, his voice echoing through the water like thunder. “They won’t even know where I took you to.”He pointed to a large, weathered ston
Hazel’s POVI screamed at the top of my lungs.“You fucking bastard!”My voice boomed across the battlefield like thunder. Every head turned. Nicholas’s massive wolf snapped toward the sound of my voice, eyes wide with pure shock. Dillian’s father saw the opening and raised his hand to strike Nicholas while he was distracted.Not on my watch.Power exploded out of me like a storm breaking free. Blue light burst from my hands and slammed into the siren general, sending him flying backward through the air like a ragdoll. He crashed hard into the group, rolling several times before stopping.I ran toward Nicholas, heart pounding so hard it felt like it would burst. My bare feet slapped against the ground. Two of our own wolves…our own people…suddenly turned on me, eyes glazed, growling with mindless rage. They lunged, claws out.“Snap out of it!” I yelled, pushing my power outward.They whimpered like scolded pups and immediately backed away, shaking their heads in confusion like they we
Hazel’s POVThe second the door slammed behind him, I jumped off the bed like it had burned me.My legs were shaky, knees weak, but I didn’t care. I ran straight to the bathroom, bare feet slapping against the cold stone floor.I dropped to my knees in front of the toilet so hard the impact jarred
Hazel’s POVMy whole body felt like it was buzzing. Like electricity was running under my skin, waking up every nerve I didn’t even know I had. I felt hypersensitive.I didn’t know if it was whatever the hell he’d forced down my throat or if it was just…him. Nicholas. Still pinning me to the mattre
Hazel’s POVBefore I could stop myself, my feet moved.I ran.Straight into him.My arms wrapped around his neck so tight I probably hurt him, but I didn’t care. I buried my face in his shoulder, breathing in the familiar smell of clean soap and that cologne he always wore because he said it made h
Nicholas POV For the first time in three years, I didn't recognize the woman lying in my bed. Hazel. Or…whoever the hell she was now. Something wasn't right with Hazel. It was like she was a whole new person, and I didn't understand it one bit. For three years, she'd been this quiet, desper







