LOGINHazel’s POV
Before I could blink, he pulled me to him. One second, I was glaring at him; the next, my back hit the bed with a soft thud that sent a tremor through my spine. My gasp filled the silence. The silk sheets were cold against my skin, but his body hovering above me burned like fire. “What the hell—” My voice broke off when his hand gripped my chin roughly, forcing me to look at him. His blue eyes were darker—stormy, dangerous, and full of something I couldn’t name. “You’ve always wanted this,” he said through clenched teeth. “And now that I’m giving it to you, you’re fighting me?” My heart pounded so hard it hurt. His words didn’t make sense. None of this did. I opened my mouth to tell him to fuck off, to push him away—but before I could even think, his lips crashed against mine. The world tilted. Every rational thought vanished. My mind went blank. It felt like someone had hit a switch inside me—like my brain stopped working and my body took over. His lips were rough, demanding, desperate. The kiss wasn’t gentle; it was war. And somehow, my body responded like it had been waiting for it all along. No. No, no, no. This was insane. I didn’t want this. I didn’t even fucking know this man. But my body… betrayed me. My hands pressed against his chest, not to push but to feel. My spine arched off the bed, heat crawling up my neck. A sound slipped from my lips—a soft, broken moan that didn’t even sound like me. Oh God. That didn’t come from me. I wanted to deny it, to bury it somewhere in the back of my mind, but his mouth moved against mine again, stealing the air from my lungs. I could taste him—bitterness and heat—and my thoughts blurred until all that existed was the weight of his body and the rhythm of our uneven breaths. “Stop,” I tried to say, but it came out as another breathless sound. His hand moved to the side of my face, then lower, tracing the edge of my jaw before sliding down the curve of my neck. My pulse leapt beneath his touch. I hated it—how my body reacted, how it trembled like it recognized him. He groaned against my mouth, the sound low and rough, like he was fighting something too. His lips trailed down my throat, and my breath caught when his teeth grazed my skin. No. This wasn’t right. This wasn’t my professor. This was the dumb ass King. The same cruel man who treated his queen like shit. So why did it feel like every nerve in my body had caught fire? His breath was hot against my collarbone. I bit my lip hard enough to taste blood, trying to snap myself out of it, but then his hand moved again—down my arm, down my side, until it found the edge of my robe. “Don’t—” I started, but he didn’t listen. The sound of fabric tearing filled the room. He ripped the robe off me in one brutal motion and threw it somewhere behind him. Cool air brushed my bare skin, and I gasped, arms instinctively flying up to cover myself. “Stop!” I said, breathless. He didn’t stop. His eyes flicked down, dark and hungry, and then he tore at the thin nightgown beneath, shredding it like paper until I was left trembling under his gaze. He didn’t even give me a second to breathe before his mouth was on me again—lower this time. The heat of his lips burned against my skin, and when I felt the rough drag of his tongue on my nipple, my body jolted. I should have fought. I should have screamed. I should have pushed him off. But instead, my hands grabbed his shoulders. Not to shove him away—but to hold on. He groaned again, the sound vibrating against me as his lips found the sensitive spot on my chest. My breath hitched. My mind screamed stop, but my body melted deeper into the bed, every inch of me trembling from the confusion of it all. “You’re so wet for me,” he growled against my skin, his voice low, primal. My eyes flew open. I shook my head, denial crashing through me. “No,” I whispered, but the word was weak, shaky, a lie my body refused to believe. Then he kissed me again, harder this time, swallowing the sound that escaped me. The world spun. I didn’t know what was happening anymore—where I ended and he began. My heart was pounding out of control. I could feel every beat in my throat, in my chest, between my legs. When had I lost control? His hand slid down, fingers brushing places that made my whole body tense and shiver at once. A choked sound left my lips—half protest, half something else entirely. He lifted his head, eyes locking onto mine, dark and unreadable. For a moment, I thought I saw something there—pain? Desire? Anger? I couldn’t tell. Then his mouth was back on mine, urgent, consuming. Somewhere in the haze, I realized his body pressed closer, harder. I felt the roughness of him against my skin—and then something else. Something hot. Heavy. Hard. My breath caught. My eyes flew open. When the hell did he take his pants off? His hips pressed forward slightly, and I felt it—him—rub against my stomach, sending a shiver straight through me. My pulse roared in my ears, a warning, a plea, a thousand thoughts tangled together. No. This couldn’t be happening. I wanted to scream, to run, to disappear—but I couldn’t move. Then I felt him shift, his hand sliding down, guiding himself lower, until I felt the hard length of him brush between my legs. And in that instant—everything stopped. My breath. My heartbeat. The world itself. I froze. And before I could stop myself, my hand landed on his face with a hard slap. “You fucking bastard!”Liora’s POVI can’t stay here waiting to find out what the hell is going on. I have to leave now.The thought hit me like a slap, cutting through the fog in my head. My hands moved before my brain could catch up. I snatched the dirty bag from the table, shoved the last few things inside, and slung it over my shoulder. The strap dug into my skin, but I didn’t care. Every second I stayed in this rotting shack was another second closer to getting caught.My heart was already hammering so hard I could feel it in my throat. I cracked the door open just enough to peek outside. The woods looked darker than before, the trees like silent watchers waiting to betray me. I slipped out and pulled the door shut behind me with a soft click that sounded way too loud in the quiet.The potion. Please, just hold on a little longer. If it could mask my scent until I reached the human town, I might actually have a chance.I took off through the trees, keeping low, boots sinking into the damp earth. I didn
Hazel’s POV“What do you mean?” The words tumbled out of me before I could stop them. My voice sounded small in the quiet hallway, but the fear behind it was loud enough to echo in my own ears.Dillian’s face stayed serious, the small smirk from earlier completely gone. He glanced once more at Nicholas, who was standing a few feet away with his hands still shoved deep in his pockets, before looking back at me. His eyes held a weight that made my stomach twist tighter.“The Northern waters,” he said quietly. “We’ve been holding them back for a very long time. But with the king’s army fighting us now…we don’t think we can hold for long.”He paused, letting the words sink in like cold water. I felt the air grow heavier around us.“I’m not just worried about you, Hazel. If my father touches land, you won’t be the only one who gets hurt. He doesn’t care about destroying every single person in the process. This bothers us just as much as it bothers you people.”My mouth went dry. The relief
Hazel’s POVMy heart sank straight to my stomach, like someone had dropped a stone into a deep, dark well. The doctor’s words hung in the air, heavy and final: “We don’t think he’ll make it.”No. “No,” I whispered, my voice cracking. Then louder, desperate, “Please…there has to be another way. There has to be something we can do!”Tears burned my eyes, spilling over before I could stop them. My legs felt weak, like they might give out any second. I stepped forward, reaching for the doctor’s arm, but Nicholas was already there. His strong hands gripped my shoulders, firm but gentle, turning me to face him.“Hazel, calm down,” he said, his voice low and steady, the kind of tone he used when the world was falling apart around us. His eyes locked on mine, trying to pull me back from the edge. “Breathe. We’re going to figure this out.”But how could I calm down? Someone might die because of me. The guilt clawed at my insides, vicious and sharp, tearing through every bit of hope I had left
Liora's POV I bit my fingers anxiously as I paced the tiny, damp room that had become my prison. My nails dug into the skin until they bled, but I barely felt the pain. My mind was a storm—racing, screaming, refusing to settle. Every step echoed too loudly in the suffocating silence, my heart slamming against my ribs as if it wanted to break free. Sweat trickled down my back, soaking the thin fabric of my dress. “Why the fuck did that bastard take the bullets for Hazel?” I muttered it under my breath, over and over, but no one answered. Just the wind rattling the loose boards, mocking me. My fingers plunged into my tangled hair, yanking hard enough to sting my scalp. I spun in a tight circle, breath coming in short, ragged gasps. The air inside was stale, thick with the smell of mold and my own fear-sweat. I could still see it—Alpha Jackson’s massive body crashing into hers, shielding her like some twisted hero from a nightmare. The shots cracking through the garden, petals ex
Hazel’s POV“How is he doing, Doctor?”I jumped up from the chair the second the door opened, heart hammering so hard it felt like it would burst out of my chest. Nicholas was right beside me, his hand instantly finding the small of my back, steadying me even though I could feel the tension rolling off him too.The doctor’s face was pale, etched with exhaustion, eyes shadowed like he’d aged a decade in there. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his hands trembled as he pulled off his mask.We had been waiting outside this room for what felt like forever, the hallway cold and sterile, the only sound the distant beep of machines and our own ragged breathing.“We’re trying everything we can,” the doctor said, voice low and grave. “The bullets… they were poisoned. Same toxin that hit the queen last time. It was a miracle you survived it, My Queen. But this… it’s worse. There were at least three bullets inside him. The quantity in his system—it’s too much. The poison’s moving fast. We’re pum
Hazel’s POVI’d spent most of the day training with my warriors, pushing my body to the limit—sweat dripping, muscles screaming, mind sharp as a blade. It kept the worry at bay. But now, as the sun dipped low, painting the garden in bloody oranges and deep purples, it all came rushing back.Dimitri still wasn’t here.It was almost evening, and that nagging pit in my stomach grew heavier with every passing minute. Where the hell was he? Benedicta Petterson was supposed to be in our grasp by now. She was the key. The one person who could name names, unravel who started this whole nightmare.I paced the garden path, gravel crunching under my boots, arms crossed tight over my chest. The roses mocked me with their perfect blooms, all calm and pretty while my world spun out of control. Come on, Dimitri. Just bring her in. Let’s end this.Lost in my head, I turned sharp—and slammed right into a solid wall of muscle.I lost my balance, feet slipping on the loose stones, stomach dropping as t
Hazel’s POV“Nicholas, please, don’t stop,” I whispered, my voice breaking on his name.His mouth closed over my nipple, hot and wet, sucking hard enough to make my back arch off the bed. A sharp jolt of pleasure shot straight between my legs. He swirled his tongue around the tight peak, teasing, t
Nicholas’s POV“This is not a laughing matter, Marco.” I snapped at my beta.Marco leaned against the wall, his arms crossed, that stupid grin tugging at the corners of his mouth as if the whole damn world wasn't crumbling around us. As if the woman I loved hadn't just declared war on me in front o
Hazel’s POVBehind me, Nicholas’s voice cut through the air like a thunderclap. “Hazel, what is going on here?”I didn’t turn right away. I let the moment sink in, savoring the way his words hung there, laced with shock and fury. The chants died down just enough for silence to creep in, thick and
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







