ANMELDENHazel’s POVWe all froze.Liora stood in front of me—eyes narrowed, mouth twisted, staring straight at me like she’d finally found the thing she’d been hunting for days.For one heartbeat, nobody moved.Then I looked down at my hands.The scales were gone.Completely.Like they’d never existed.My skin was smooth again—normal, pale. No shimmer. No color. Nothing.I didn’t think twice.My hand cracked across Liora’s face so fast she didn’t see it coming.The slap rang out—sharp, satisfying.“How many times have I told you to stay the hell out of my face?!” I hissed.Liora staggered back two steps—hand flying to her cheek, eyes wide with shock. A red imprint bloomed instantly across her pale skin, and for a split second something like fear flickered in her gaze before hatred swallowed it whole.But I wasn’t done.“Dimitri,” I said, voice cold, “is there no prison or something you can throw this woman into? I’m tired of seeing her everywhere I turn.”Dimitri didn’t hesitate.“Guards!”Tw
Hazel’s POVThe door clicked shut.And we both froze.Then we heard it—quick, panicked footsteps running away down the corridor.Dimitri and I looked at each other for half a second.We moved at the same time.He yanked the door open. I rushed past him into the hallway.Empty.Just long marble corridors stretching in both directions. No one.No retreating back. No flash of uniform. Nothing.I spun left, then right—heart hammering.Dimitri stepped out behind me, scanning the other end.“Gone,” he muttered.We looked at each other again.“Do you think whoever that was heard what we said?” I whispered.“I don’t know.” His voice was grim. “But I have to find out who it was and why they ran.”I hugged Dimitri’s jacket tighter around my shoulders. The scales underneath still shimmered faintly—visible at my wrists and throat if anyone looked too closely.“Right now we just have to focus on hiding these,” I said, lifting my hand. The iridescent pattern caught the light. “They’re not going bac
Hazel’s POVBefore I could even ask what the hell he meant, Dimitri yanked off his jacket and threw it over my head and shoulders like a cloak.“Dimitri—what are you doing?” I sputtered, the fabric smelling like leather and sweat.He didn’t answer. Just grabbed my hand and started dragging me back inside the palace.“Don’t look up,” he hissed under his breath as we passed a pair of servants in the corridor. They glanced our way, curious, but Dimitri kept his head down and pulled me faster.We didn’t stop until he shoved open a random side door, yanked me inside, and slammed it shut behind us. The room was small—it looked like some kind of storage closet. Dust motes danced in the thin strip of light coming through the high window.I spun to face him, jacket slipping off my shoulders.“What the hell is going on?” I demanded.He looked at me like I’d grown two horns.Instead of answering, he grabbed my wrist again and dragged me across the tiny room until I was standing directly in front
Hazel’s POV“How?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. “Tell me how.”Dimitri shook his head slowly. His hands came up to rest gently on my shoulders, steady and warm, like he was trying to anchor me before the next wave hit.“No, listen to me, Hazel. It’s not that easy.”I pulled away from his touch, stepping back. The wind tugged at my hair, but I barely felt it. My chest was too tight, my thoughts spinning too fast.“What do you mean it’s not easy?” I demanded. “You just said there’s a way to erase the mark. So tell me.”He exhaled, running a hand through his hair. His eyes were serious—too serious. The kind of look people give when they’re about to tell you something you really don’t want to hear.“As much as I don’t like Nicholas,” he said carefully, “he’s still the king. And you’re the queen. This isn’t just about the two of you anymore.”I folded my arms, trying to hold myself together. “What does that have to do with anything?”Dimitri took a step closer, lowering his vo
Hazel's Pov “I have nothing to say to you, Nicholas.”The words came out sharper than I meant, but I didn’t care. I turned on my heel, already moving, already needing distance from those eyes that kept pulling at something inside me I didn’t want to name.His hand shot out—fast—fingers closing around my wrist.Not hard. Just firm enough to stop me.I yanked back instantly, twisting free like his touch burned.“Don’t.”Dimitri stepped forward in the same breath, putting his body half in front of mine. Shoulders squared.Nicholas’s eyes narrowed. The air between the three of us crackled.“This is between me and my wife,” he said, voice low and dangerous. “Stay out of it.”Dimitri didn’t budge an inch.Nicholas’s jaw ticked. His gaze flicked to Dimitri, then back to me, and I swear I saw something feral flash behind the calm mask he was trying to wear.I stepped around Dimitri just enough to see Nicholas' face.“Seriously?” I laughed, but it came out bitter. “You’ve got some nerve. You
Hazel’s POVLiora landed on the ground with a sickening crack.The sound of bone snapping echoed across the courtyard like a gunshot.Everyone froze.Her scream ripped through the morning air, high and raw, the kind of sound that makes your stomach drop even when you hate the person making it.She curled instantly around her right leg, both hands clutching just above the ankle. Her face twisted white with pain, mouth wide, tears streaming down her eyes, real ones this time. No more dramatic performance. Just agony.“Nicholas!” she wailed, voice cracking on his name. “Nicholas—!”I stood there with my mouth open, staring up at the balcony.Nicholas leaned over the railing—expression blank, eyes cold.No remorse.No panic.Just…calm.Like he’d pushed a chair off the edge instead of a person.The crowd was deathly silent.Then whispers started—low at first, then spreading like wildfire.“Did he just…?”“He pushed her.”“The king pushed his mistress.”“How is this even possible?” Another
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’s POV“I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”The words came out low, dangerous, every syllable edged with warning.Dimitri didn’t back down an inch.“Stop pretending,” he said, voice steady even though his eyes were burning. “Everyone knows you wanted Hazel out of the picture s
Hazel’s POVThe second I stepped through those massive dining-hall doors, the entire room went dead quiet.Every single head turned.Every. Single. One.I could feel their eyes like lasers—nobles, advisors, guards, servants, all of them frozen mid-bite, mid-sentence, mid-breath. Silverware hovered.
Nicholas’s POV“What the fuck has gotten into Hazel?”I paced the length of my chamber like a caged animal, boots thudding against the floor. The room felt too small, the walls too close. My blood was still roaring from breakfast—from her voice snapping my name like it meant nothing, from the crack







