Chapter 75: Silver moon

Anita seemed pleased that she had finally caught their attention, so she leaned closer and lowered her voice as though she were sharing an important secret.

"She owns the Werewolf King. I would have gone after him myself because I like handsome and dangerous men, but she’s my mentor, and I know better than to compete with her. Besides, I don’t mind having the second-in-command instead. He’s handsome, dangerous, and powerful too."

She grinned, clearly proud of herself, but Hazel noticed something strange the moment Anita mentioned the woman who supposedly owned Caius.

Janet’s expression changed.

The amusement disappeared from her face, and her eyes grew cold as she stared at Anita. However, she didn’t say anything until the human girl finally turned around and walked away, still wearing the smug smile of someone who believed she had already won.

Hazel watched Anita disappear before turning toward Janet. "Who is she talking about?"

Janet sighed deeply, looking as though Anita had just reminded her of a headache she had hoped to forget.

"Doris," she answered. "That woman is such a pain in the neck, and she doesn’t know when to stop. She had better not think she can do whatever she wants just because she believes she has a special place in His Majesty’s heart."

Hazel frowned. "Doris? I’ve heard that name before."

"Of course. She hasn’t been around for a while, but she’s very powerful. The problem is that His Majesty once gave her enough freedom to make her comfortable around everyone and now she seems to believe that means she owns him."

Janet shook her head before continuing. "Doris was especially cruel to the maid who died protecting His Majesty’s secrets. She treated that poor girl terribly, all because she was jealous and wanted to prove that she was the only woman who mattered to him."

Hazel’s expression became serious as she remembered what she had heard about the dead maid. She couldn’t understand how someone could mistreat another person simply because they both had feelings for the same man."That’s terrible," she murmured.

"It is, but there’s more to the story," Janet replied. "Doris is a very powerful wolf, and her mother is one of us. Perhaps that’s part of the reason His Majesty allowed her to become so comfortable around him."

Hazel turned toward her with sudden interest. "Who is her mother?"

Janet chuckled when she saw the look on Hazel’s face. "Lady Mira."

Hazel’s eyes widened. "The High Priest’s daughter?"

Janet nodded, clearly amused by her reaction. "Yes, that Lady Mira. Now you understand why Doris thinks she can get away with so much."

Hazel shook her head, wondering why so many women seemed determined to claim a place beside Caius. The man barely spoke to her without making her question her own sanity, yet there were women who believed they could somehow make him fall in love with them.

Janet seemed to notice where her thoughts were going, so she quickly changed the subject.

"Anyway, let’s leave Doris aside. I won’t help her compete with me for Ethan, no matter how much she wants him. I’d rather focus on myself than waste my time fighting another woman over a man who hasn’t chosen me."

Hazel looked at her with sympathy, but Janet smiled before she could say anything.

"Now, let’s talk about you instead. How was your night?"

Hazel froze. Then, as if someone had opened a door inside her mind, the memory of what Caius did to her flashed through her thoughts. Her cheeks immediately turned red.

Janet noticed the change and slowly grinned. "Hmmmm."

"Please, stop!" Hazel cried, covering her face with both hands.

"I haven’t even said anything yet!"

"You don’t have to say anything! I know that look!"

Janet laughed, clearly enjoying herself. "Well, you seem perfectly fine to me. You can walk properly, and you don’t look injured, so I guess His Majesty didn’t do anything to you after all."

Hazel shook her head in embarrassment, wishing she could disappear into the ground. "Oh, please! Can we talk about something else?"

"Why? I’m only asking a simple question."

"Because I don’t want to talk about it!"

Janet laughed again, but Hazel suddenly remembered the demon wolf and quickly lowered her hands. "Actually, let’s talk about something important. I saw a demon wolf this morning!"

Janet’s laughter stopped immediately. She straightened, her expression becoming serious as she studied Hazel’s face. "What did you just say?"

Hazel touched the silver moon chain around her neck, her earlier embarrassment disappearing as she remembered the creature’s glowing red eyes and the black smoke that had filled her room. "A demon wolf entered my room, Janet, and I don’t think it came there by accident."

...

When everyone gathered at the palace entrance to prepare for their departure, Lincoln stood beside his wife, trying to hide the sadness on his face. Their guests were leaving, and although he was happy that they had come to the Dragon Kingdom, the problems facing his people had not disappeared.

He still had to find a way to protect his kingdom from the demon wolves, and he could only hope that the help they had promised would arrive before another attack took place.

Despite his worries, Lincoln made sure that everyone received a gift before leaving. Hazel was about to thank him when she noticed a little boy standing beside the Dragon King, with a bandage wrapped around his arm.

The boy looked tired, and although he tried to smile at the visitors, Hazel could tell that he was still recovering from something painful.

She walked closer and looked at the bandage with concern. "What happened to him?"

Lincoln’s wife turned toward the boy and gently touched his head before answering. "He was bitten by one of the demon wolves a few days ago. The venom entered his body, and we were afraid we might lose him, but the witches helped us remove it before it could spread any further."

Hazel’s expression changed as she listened. She remembered the demon wolf that had appeared in her room and how her silver moon chain had burned its body. She had been frightened at the time, but now she understood that the creatures were not only trying to attack the kingdoms but were also hurting innocent people who had no way to defend themselves.