FAZER LOGINRagnar’s POVI stood by the window in my private study, staring out at the palace grounds. The sun was high, but my mind was far from the daily reports stacked on my desk. All I could think about was Aziel. The way he had looked at me this morning. The way his body had felt against mine last night. The sounds he made when he came apart in my hands.I had never wanted anyone like this. Not this deeply. Not this completely. It was more than desire. It was obsession. I found myself thinking about him during meetings. Wondering if he was safe. If he was eating. If he was still struggling with the memories of his past life. The need to protect him, to keep him close, grew stronger every day. It scared me how quickly it had taken root.A soft knock pulled me from my thoughts.“Enter.”The door opened and Lyrielle stepped inside. She wore a deep red dress that hugged her figure. Her hair was arranged perfectly, and she carried the faint scent of roses. She smiled at me as she closed the door
Aziel’s POVI woke up slowly, my body heavy and warm. Soft sheets covered me. The bed felt larger than mine. For a few seconds I lay still, trying to remember where I was. Then the memories came rushing back. The heat. The wine. Stumbling into Ragnar’s room. Throwing myself at him. His hand on me. The pleasure that had torn through my body.My face burned, but I refused to let shame win. I was Aziel Valcairn. Former king. Warrior. I had faced death and betrayal and I would not crumble over one night of losing control.I sat up. The movement made my head spin slightly. I was naked under the blanket. My clothes lay folded neatly on a nearby chair. Ragnar’s scent was everywhere. On the pillows. On my skin. I looked around the room. Sunlight streamed through the tall windows. It was morning.Ragnar stood near the table by the window, pouring water into a glass. He wore only loose pants. His bare chest and strong shoulders were fully visible for the first time. I stared. The man was built
Aziel’s POVThe heat started slowly, like a fire someone had lit deep in my belly. At first I thought it was just leftover anger from the meeting with Seraphine. My skin felt too warm. My heart would not slow down. But the longer I sat alone in my chambers, the worse it became. Every breath felt heavier. My thighs pressed together without meaning to. A low ache spread through my body until I could not ignore it anymore.The kiss.That was what started it. Ragnar’s mouth on mine. His hands pulling me close. The taste of him. The solid strength of his body. Something inside me had woken up, and now it refused to sleep again.I stood up too fast. The room spun for a second. I walked to the small table near the window where a bottle of fine wine waited. The servants had left it earlier, thinking I might want something to calm my nerves after the long day. I poured a full glass and drank it in one go. The wine was rich and strong. I hoped it would dull my thoughts and knock me out so I cou
Aziel’s POVI stood frozen in the middle of my chambers, my heart still racing from the kiss. Ragnar’s warmth lingered on my lips and the feel of his hands on my back refused to leave my skin. The door had barely closed behind Magnus, but the silence he left behind felt heavier than any words he could have spoken.Anger burned in my chest. Not at Ragnar. Not even at Magnus. At myself.I had stood there in front of Seraphine like a fool. I had let her words cut into me. I had shown weakness in front of the entire court, in front of Ragnar, in front of everyone who mattered. The proud Alpha warrior I once was would have laughed at the idea of letting a woman like her shake me. Yet here I was, trembling after a single confrontation. My new body felt like a cage. My emotions felt like chains.I pressed my fingers to my lips. The kiss replayed in my mind. The way Ragnar had pulled me close. The heat of his body. The taste of him. A strange warmth spread through my stomach. It was not the s
Ragnar’s POVThe walk back to our quarters was quiet. The palace halls stayed busy like always. Servants carried clean sheets and clothes. Guards stood straight and bowed when I passed. Maids talked about the evening meal as if the big meeting today had never happened. Life in the palace went on.It always did.Big empires lived through wars, deaths, and scandals. By tomorrow, most people would forget what they saw. They would talk about something new.But Lior would not forget.I looked at him walking next to me. His eyes stayed on the floor. His shoulders were tight. His hands were clasped so hard his knuckles turned white. He had not said a word since we left the hall. Every few steps his fingers squeezed tighter, like he was holding himself together with pure will.He looked like a soldier who had been cut deep inside but refused to show it.When we reached his room, I sent the guards away.“No one comes in unless the palace is burning.”They bowed. “Yes, Your Majesty.”The door c
Aziel’s POVI couldn’t understand why her words still affected me.She had stood before an entire court and admitted that she had expected Ragnar to kill me. When that failed, she had admitted she intended to do it herself. There should have been nothing left to question after that. Any doubt I still carried should have disappeared the moment those words left her mouth.Instead, they stayed with me.Not because I believed her. Because a part of me had spent so many years believing everything she ever said that it no longer knew how to stop.Weak.Ungrateful.A burden.Those words had followed Lior through almost every memory I had recovered. They had been repeated so often that they no longer sounded like insults. They sounded like rules. Rules I had never realized I was still obeying.I hated that. I hated that after everything she had confessed, I still found myself wondering if I really was making a mistake.I lowered my eyes for a moment and quietly drew in a slow breath. The voic
Aziel’s POVThe gates closed behind us with a thunderous sound that echoed through stone and bone.It did not feel like entering a kingdom.It felt like being swallowed.I walked forward anyway.The courtyard stretched wide, paved in dark stone worn smooth by years of war and blood. Tall pillars li
Aziel’s POVMorning came without warmth.I opened my eyes to silence.The carriage no longer moved.For a moment, I stayed still, listening.No wheels grinding against dirt. No distant shouts. No clash of steel.Just quiet.I pushed myself up slowly.Pain flared along my side.The wound.Right.I g
Aziel’s POVI stepped out of the carriage and the cold night air hit my face.The world outside was chaos.Torches blazed against the darkness. Horses screamed. Men shouted over the clash of steel. The smell of blood and smoke filled the air.Bandits.Or assassins.I did not care which. Bodies alre
Aziel’s POVThe carriage jolted violently beneath me.I opened my eyes.My body ached. Every muscle felt sore from forcing this weak body through hours of breath control and instinct suppression. My back pressed against velvet cushions that were too soft, too useless. The scent of flowers clung to







