Chapter 77: Alexander

Hazel flinched and quickly turned around, finding Lady Mira standing behind her with an amused smile. The High Priest had followed her gaze toward the pool, where Caius had been standing a short while earlier, and she seemed to understand exactly what had been occupying Hazel’s mind.

"Ah, High Priest!" Hazel greeted her, quickly bowing before Lady Mira caught her arm.

"Please, don’t do that," Lady Mira said with a gentle laugh. "You don’t have to bow to me every time we meet."

Hazel smiled awkwardly. "Oh, please, I don’t deserve all this respect."

Lady Mira studied her face for a moment before asking, "Is something bothering you?"

Hazel nodded immediately, looking so relieved that Lady Mira almost laughed again.

"How can I meet Caius?" Hazel asked. "He needs to take my blood, but he’s avoiding me! I don’t understand what I did wrong, and I don’t know how to make him stop."

Lady Mira laughed softly, not because she wanted to make fun of Hazel, but because she had never seen the young woman look so confused over a man.

"From where I’m standing, His Majesty seems rather distracted these days, especially whenever he senses you nearby. You have become quite a distraction for him, Lady Hazel."

Hazel stared at her in surprise. "A distraction? Does that mean he hates me?"

"Hate?" Lady Mira repeated before shaking her head with amusement. "No, my dear. I don’t think hatred is the problem here. If anything, I believe His Majesty is in love with you, but he feels guilty about the way he has treated you."

Hazel froze. For a moment, she couldn’t even find the words to answer. She had expected Lady Mira to tell her that Caius was angry with her or that he wanted her to stay away from him, but hearing that he might actually be in love with her was something she had never considered.

"Are you sure?" she asked cautiously. "Or have you misunderstood him?"

Lady Mira smiled, looking toward the pool again. "I grew up knowing Caius, Hazel. I understand him better than most people do, and I’ve noticed how often he steals glances at you. He may not be the kind of man who openly talks about his feelings, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have them."

She paused before continuing, her voice becoming more serious.

"I won’t tell you too much because I don’t want you to think I’m simply defending him, but I believe he’s punishing himself for the way he has treated you. Instead of accepting your help and allowing himself to recover, he’s letting his condition grow worse because he feels guilty."

Hazel lowered her eyes, her heart aching at the thought of Caius suffering when she was willing to help him. She was still angry about the way he had treated her, and she wasn’t ready to pretend that everything was fine, but she didn’t want him to keep hurting himself either.

"Can you please help me arrange a meeting with him?" she asked quietly. "I want to talk to him, even if I still have a few things to complain about."

Lady Mira sighed and gave her a sympathetic look. "You should ask Gemma Alexander to help you with that. She might be able to arrange a meeting without making His Majesty feel as though you’re forcing him into a conversation."

Hazel nodded, thinking about how she could find Gemma and explain the situation.

They were still talking when Janet hurried toward them, looking so relieved that Hazel immediately became curious.

"Ah, thank goodness you’re here!" Janet exclaimed as she reached them, greeting Lady Mira with a quick bow before turning toward Hazel. "I’ve been looking everywhere for you. Something has happened, and I think you need to hear about it immediately."

Hazel’s expression changed as she looked at her friend. After everything that had happened with Caius, the golden chain, and the demon wolves, she could only hope that this new problem wasn’t going to make things even worse.

Hazel blinked as she looked at Janet, wondering why her friend was suddenly asking her to speak to Alexander about something that had nothing to do with her. She had barely finished worrying about Caius’s health, and now she was being dragged into another problem involving people she hadn’t even thought about.

"Of course, I’m not fighting Azula," she replied with a confused expression. "Why would I be angry with her? We both fought and nothing serious"

Janet scoffed and shook her head. "That’s exactly the problem! Alexander thinks you’re angry with her, so he has forbidden her from coming back to Basileia until further notice."

Hazel’s mouth fell open slightly as Janet continued complaining about the situation.

"We’ve missed her so much, Hazel. There are new soldiers who need her training, and the upcoming Alpha nominations are getting closer. She needs to test the candidates and make sure they’re strong enough to take on the responsibilities of being an Alpha. Our army can’t function properly without her, and yet Alexander has decided to keep her away because he thinks she has offended you!"

Hazel stared at her in disbelief, trying to understand how her name had become connected to a problem she knew absolutely nothing about. She hadn’t even thought about Azula for days, so how had the situation become so serious without her knowing?

"Ahh, I don’t understand anything you’re saying!" Hazel exclaimed, rubbing her forehead. "I’m not stopping Azula from coming here, and I don’t even have a problem with her. Why would Alexander do something like that without asking me first?"

Janet opened her mouth to answer, but Lady Mira spoke before she could say anything. "Because he believes you’re angry with Azula after the fight, and he probably doesn’t want to create another problem for you. Besides, he knows that His Majesty has chosen you as his mate, so he might be worried about offending the future Werewolf Queen."

Lady Mira smiled at her reaction, while Janet let out another tired sigh. "That’s enough to make Alexander angry on Azula’s behalf," Lady Mira explained. "He might be playful most of the time, but when it comes to his mate, he doesn’t joke around."