Chapter 73: Demon wolves

The morning sun had already risen over the Dragon Kingdom, but Caius was sitting at the very edge of the tallest building in the palace, holding a glass of strong wine in his hand. From where he sat, he could see the dragons moving around the kingdom, going about their daily activities without knowing that their king had been sitting on the rooftop since the previous night.

He took another sip of his wine, staring into the distance with a cold expression, although his mind was far from peaceful.

Behind him, Lincoln climbed onto the rooftop and let out a tired sigh when he saw him. He had heard that Caius had been sitting there since last night, and he wasn’t surprised because he knew the Werewolf King well enough to understand when something was bothering him. However, what surprised him was the reason behind Caius’s unusual behavior.

He knew what happened between Caius and Hazel. He couldn’t hold it anymore and his action strongly backfired at him.

Lincoln walked closer before calmly sitting behind him. "You know she might hate you more now, don’t you? And I don’t think you understand how much trouble that will cause you."

Caius didn’t answer, so Lincoln continued speaking while trying to hide the smile that kept appearing on his face.

"I understand that you’ve barely been able to control yourself since you first smelled her scent, but you shouldn’t have allowed your desire to get the better of you. Now you’ve made things worse, and that girl might become your greatest distraction."

Lincoln paused, waiting for Caius to say something, but the Werewolf King continued drinking as though he hadn’t heard a single word.

Unable to hold back any longer, Lincoln laughed at the thought of Caius struggling with a woman. How was it possible that a man who had lived for so many centuries and defeated countless enemies could find himself in such a situation? He had always believed Caius could handle anything, but Hazel seemed determined to prove him wrong.

"Honestly, I never thought I’d see the day when a woman would make you sit on a rooftop all night drinking wine," Lincoln teased, shaking his head. "If the other Alphas could see you right now, they would never believe their eyes."

Caius finally turned his head and gave him a cold look, but Lincoln only smiled wider. "As if the demons don’t already know you’re here," Lincoln continued, becoming serious again. "The corrupted wolves you came here to deal with are demons’ allies, but they’re still afraid of you. If they knew you were staying in the Dragon Kingdom, they would think twice before attacking our people."

Caius looked away without showing any interest in the matter, making Lincoln sigh once more. He had come to discuss something important, but it seemed that talking to Caius about Hazel was the only way to get his attention.

"The demon wolves are becoming more dangerous, and we need to find a way to protect our people," Lincoln said before suddenly remembering something. His eyes widened as he turned toward Caius. "Wait a minute. Your mate has that pure silver moon chain, doesn’t she? The one that seems to have special power?"

Caius’s fingers stopped moving around his glass for a moment, but he didn’t answer.

Lincoln stared at him in surprise as a new thought entered his mind. "I think we might have found a solution to the problem of the corrupted wolves!"

He leaned forward with excitement, explaining his idea before Caius could interrupt him. "If that chain can protect Hazel from certain kinds of dark magic, it might also help us fight these demon wolves. We don’t know why they’re suddenly targeting our people, but if we can use that power to drive them away, we might be able to protect the kingdom without losing so many warriors."

Caius chuckled quietly, taking another sip of his wine. "Forget about it. She won’t give you that chain."

Lincoln frowned. "Why don’t you at least try asking her? We need to save our people, Caius, especially if you intend to become the head of the Immortal Council. You can’t keep ignoring everything that doesn’t interest you."

"I’m not interested in becoming the head of the Immortal Council," Caius replied coldly.

Lincoln stared at him in disbelief. "You cannot be serious."

Caius remained silent, and Lincoln rubbed his forehead before bringing up the other problem that had been bothering him.

"The Demon King seems to love you so much, Caius. Sometimes, I wonder whether there’s something you’re not telling us about your relationship with him." he teased.

Caius scoffed, his expression becoming darker at the mention of the Demon King.

"You don’t want to fight him, but he keeps looking for ways to provoke you," Lincoln continued. "He knows exactly how to annoy you, and every time he attacks another territory, you make it your responsibility to deal with the problem. Do you realize that you’re practically doing the work of the Immortal Council’s leader already?"

....

Meanwhile, Hazel woke up and immediately covered her face with both hands as the memories of the previous night came rushing back.

For a few seconds, she remained beneath the blanket, hoping that everything she remembered had been nothing more than a strange dream. Unfortunately, the moment she recalled the last kiss and the way Caius had looked at her, she knew she couldn’t pretend that nothing had happened.

"Ahhh!" she groaned, rolling onto her side and burying her face in the pillow. "How am I supposed to face him now?"

She had spent so much time teasing Caius about his lack of romantic experience that she had never imagined he could leave her feeling this embarrassed. The worst part was that she couldn’t even say she regretted the kiss, because there was something about the way he had kissed her that had made her want to pull him closer and refuse to let him go.

It had been her first kiss, and although she had read countless romance books, none of them had prepared her for the strange emotions she had felt when Caius looked into her eyes. There had been a moment when his expression changed, almost as if he had done something he wasn’t supposed to do, but he had continued anyway.

Hazel pressed the pillow against her face. What is wrong with that man? First, he acts like he doesn’t care about me, and now he’s making me think about him all morning!

She turned toward the window, hoping the cool morning air would help her calm down, but her entire body suddenly stiffened when she noticed a pair of red eyes staring at her from outside.

A dark wolf stood on the window ledge, its black body covered in moving smoke that seemed to spread into the air around it. Its red eyes were fixed on Hazel, and when she looked directly at it, the creature pulled back its lips to reveal sharp teeth.

Hazel slowly sat up, her embarrassment disappearing as fear took its place. "Demon wolves?" she whispered.