MasukNicholas’s POVMarco leaned in closer to the screen, squinting hard at the frozen image. His brows pulled together in a deep frown. “Now that you say it… yeah, I see it too. The build, the way he carries his shoulders. It really does look like Alpha Jackson.”I felt a cold spike run down my spine.“But Alpha Jackson wasn’t even at the ball,” Marco added quickly. “His beta represented him.”“And don’t you find that a little suspicious?” I shot back, my voice low and sharp. The room felt smaller suddenly, the hum of the monitors pressing in on me.Marco rubbed the back of his neck, looking uneasy. “It is suspicious… but Alpha Jackson is obsessed with your wife. I don’t think he would want to kill her. He’s been chasing after her for years in his own twisted way.”I let out a bitter laugh that didn’t sound like me. “Then you haven’t heard about the ‘if I can’t have her, no one will’ type. It’s no coincidence that he bumped into my wife right when we’re looking for someone who got close e
Nicholas’s POVI stepped out of Hazel’s hospital room, my chest still tight with worry. The beeping machines and her pale face stayed burned in my mind. I couldn’t sit there doing nothing while someone who tried to kill her was still walking free. I turned to the three strongest guards standing outside and two of Hazel’s own warriors.“Guard this room with your lives,” I said, my voice low and hard. “Nobody is allowed to enter. Not servants, not doctors unless I approve them first. If anyone tries, you stop them. Understand?”They all bowed deeply, faces serious. “Yes, my King.”I gave them one last look, making sure they felt the weight of my words, then walked away with Marco right beside me. My steps were fast, anger and fear pushing me forward. The palace halls felt too quiet now, like the whole building was holding its breath after the chaos of the ball.We headed straight to the security room. When we pushed the door open, the place was already buzzing. Every screen on the wall
Nicholas’s POVI sat by Hazel’s side in the quiet hospital room, the only sound the steady beep of the machines keeping her stable. She was still so pale, her skin almost white against the white sheets. Her chest rose and fell slowly, each breath a small victory that eased the knot in my stomach just a little. I couldn’t bring myself to leave her. Not even for a second. The thought of stepping away and coming back to find her worse terrified me more than anything I had faced as king.I held her hand gently, bringing it to my lips. Her fingers felt cool, but they were still warm enough to give me hope.“I’ll find whoever did this to you,” I whispered, my voice rough with emotion. “And they’ll regret ever being born. But please… just wake up, okay?”She didn’t respond. Of course she didn’t. She had been so busy protecting me all night—handling the rogues, confronting the elders, making sure the ball didn’t turn into a bloodbath. And in the end, she was the one who ended up poisoned. The
Nicholas’s POV“Move! Get out of my way!” I yelled, my voice raw as I rushed through the palace halls with Hazel limp in my arms. Her head lolled against my chest, and every shallow breath she took sent fresh terror slicing through me. “Move!”Servants and guards jumped aside, eyes wide with shock, but I didn’t stop. I kicked the hospital wing doors open with my leg, the wood banging hard against the wall. Doctor Ricardo was already waiting, his face pale but focused.“Something is wrong with my wife,” I said, voice filled with terror I didn’t even try to hide. I laid Hazel gently on the bed, my hands shaking as I stepped back just enough for the doctor to work. “She just started coughing up blood.”My voice trembled, but I didn’t care right now. I just wanted my wife to be okay. I couldn’t lose her. Not now. Not ever. Not after everything we had been through, not when I had finally started to earn her trust again.I watched helplessly as the doctor and nurses swarmed around her. They
Nicholas’s POV “What are you talking about?” Hazel asked, her voice sharp with confusion. “What did I do?” I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. The mind-link from Marco had hit me like a freight train, flooding my head with information that made my blood run cold. Her warriors had caught rogues trying to sneak into the palace. Rogues who were part of a bigger plot cooked up by those damned elders. And she had known. She had handled the whole thing on her own without saying a single word to me. How the hell did she know all this was going to happen? The question burned in my chest as I grabbed her hand, my fingers wrapping tightly around hers. “Come with me,” I said, my voice rough. Before she could protest, I pulled her through the crowd. People stared, whispers following us like shadows, but I didn’t care. The music and lights of the ballroom faded behind us as we rushed out into the cool night air. My heart pounded hard, a mix of anger, shock, and something deeper that I didn’t want
Hazel's Pov The elder's words hung in the air like a thunderclap. "The wine!...The wine was poisoned!"Gasps ripped through the ballroom, sharp and collective, like the entire hall had sucked in one horrified breath. Faces turned, eyes wide with shock, locking onto Elder Watson as he knelt there, trembling on the marble floor."What the fuck did you just say?" Nicholas growled, his voice a low, lethal rumble that sliced through the chaos. He took a threatening step forward, his massive frame towering over the cowering elder like a storm cloud ready to unleash hell. The air crackled with his fury—I could feel it radiating off him, hot and dangerous.Elder Watson shrank back, his body folding in on itself, eyes glued to the floor as if staring at Nicholas might turn him to stone. “The wine...there was poison in it," he whispered, his voice trembling so badly it barely carried. But it did. Oh, it did.The whispers exploded into a frenzy, buzzing like angry bees all around us. "Oh my
Nicholas’s POVI sat on the edge of the bed in my bedroom, elbow on my knees, head bowed like a man waiting for execution.The room was dim, lit only by the moonlight coming through the window, casting long shadows that danced across the stone walls like ghosts mocking me. My mind kept ringing wit
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 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







