Chapter 79: The Queen Wolf Has Spoken

Janet took Hazel to the throne hall, where they found Alexander teasing Ethan and Caius while both men stood with their arms folded, glaring at him as if they were seriously considering throwing him out of the palace.

Unfortunately, their threatening looks only made Alexander laugh harder.

"What’s wrong with both of you? Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked, holding his stomach as he laughed. "You should be grateful that I’m making your boring lives more interesting. Imagine how dull this palace would be without me!"

Neither Ethan nor Caius bothered to answer him, but Hazel couldn’t help smiling at the sight. She had heard so many things about Alexander, yet seeing him annoy two of the most dangerous men in the immortal world at the same time was something else entirely.

However, her smile slowly disappeared when her eyes settled on Caius.

It had been almost a week since she had last seen his face, and even though she had tried to convince herself that she didn’t care, her heart had never truly accepted his absence. She clenched her fists as she watched him, knowing that he would probably leave the moment he sensed her presence. Still, she couldn’t bring herself to look away because she wanted to communicate with him through her eyes, hoping he might somehow understand the feelings she had been unable to express with words.

The memory of that night returned to her mind, and she felt her cheeks grow warm as she remembered the sparks that had passed through her body when he touched her. It had been the strongest feeling she had ever experienced, and although she had been confused and embarrassed by everything that happened between them, she couldn’t honestly say she hated it.

In fact, the thought of him avoiding her afterward hurt more than she wanted to admit.

Just as Hazel hoped he might look at her, Caius suddenly turned arround and walked out of the throne hall without saying a word.

Hazel watched him leave and released a quiet sigh.

He wasn’t even trying to hide the fact that he was avoiding her anymore. What annoyed her most was that he didn’t even seem to be in a hurry to leave, as if he had simply decided that staying in the same room with her was something he no longer wanted to do.

But there was something else that worried her. Caius looked weaker than before.

She had noticed it during the few times she caught sight of him from a distance, and lately, even the palace seemed different. The flowers that once bloomed beautifully around the royal grounds were no longer as bright, and the atmosphere felt strangely lifeless. Hazel had started wondering whether the palace itself could sense the condition of its king, because everything seemed to be losing its beauty along with his strength.

She wanted to ask him what was wrong, but how could she do that when he wouldn’t even stay long enough to look at her?

"Hey!" Janet suddenly called, bringing Hazel out of her thoughts.

Ethan turned his head toward Janet, who seemed completely unconcerned about his presence. His eyes rested on her for a moment before he looked at Alexander, who had raised an eyebrow as he watched the two of them.

Hazel quickly lowered her head in greeting before turning toward Alexander. "Supreme Beta, can you please allow Azula to return to the palace?"

Alexander’s lips curved into an amused smile as he exchanged a knowing look with Janet. "You..."

"Yes, you!" Janet snapped before he could finish, making Alexander dramatically grab Ethan’s arm as if he needed someone to protect him from her anger.

Ethan immediately shoved him away with a lazy movement, looking as though he regretted ever standing close enough for Alexander to touch him.

Hazel couldn’t hold back her laughter. Were these really the same men everyone described as terrifying and powerful? Alexander behaved like a naughty child, while Ethan looked as if he wanted to throw him into the nearest river and leave him there.

"I’ve told you a million times that Lady Hazel doesn’t even remember holding a grudge against Azula," Janet continued, glaring at Alexander. "So why are you still keeping her away?"

That was when Hazel remembered something that made her smile disappear.

She did remember calling Azula a thief, and she certainly hadn’t liked what Azula had done to her. Even so, she couldn’t deny that the incident had helped her bring out her first wolf. It didn’t mean she had suddenly become Azula’s best friend, but she wasn’t going to use Caius’s position as her mate to stop another warrior from doing her job.

Alexander noticed the slight change in her expression, but he pretended not to see it. "Actually, I’m not stopping her because Lady Hazel complained about anything. I simply want Azula to relax at home for a while," he explained with an innocent smile.

Janet stared at him as if he had just said the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard. "Relax at home? As the Supreme Beta, your mansion is right next to the left palace! She can probably see her armies from your bedroom window, so tell me how you expect her to relax when she knows her soldiers are waiting for her to return!"

Hazel burst into laughter again, unable to help herself as Alexander’s expression changed. "That’s a very good point," he admitted after a moment.

"Of course, it’s a good point!" Janet snapped.

Hazel wiped the corner of her eye before speaking. "To be honest, I didn’t like what Azula did to me last time, but at least the incident helped me bring out my first wolf. I’m also sure she saw my eyes when I shifted, yet she continued fighting me."

She paused, remembering the anger that had taken over her body and the strength she hadn’t known she possessed.

Then a small smile appeared on her face. "Anger is indeed powerful."

Alexander studied her for a moment before nodding in agreement. "All right, since the Queen Wolf has spoken, who am I not to obey?"

He spread his arms wide as if he were making an important announcement before the entire immortal world, and Hazel immediately rolled her eyes.

The title of Queen Wolf was one of the most powerful titles a female wolf could hold, and no female wolf had ever carried it except Caius’s mother. Hearing Alexander call her that so casually made her feel strange, especially because she still hadn’t figured out how to make her own mate look at her without running away.

"Azula will return to duty tomorrow," Alexander announced with a charming smile.

Janet immediately jumped up and clapped her hands, looking as though he had just given her the greatest gift in the world.

"Finally! Thank you!"

Hazel smiled at their happiness, although a small part of her wondered how Azula would react when they met again. Azula hate her from day one and Hazel couldn’t honestly claim that she liked Azula very much either. Still, she hoped they could at least learn to work together without fighting.

She lifted her head to thank Alexander, but the words died on her lips when she discovered that he was already looking directly at her.

Worse, Ethan was watching her too. Hazel froze, suddenly feeling as though the two men could see every thought passing through her mind. She had never been the kind of person who felt nervous simply because someone looked at her, yet standing before these two men made her feel strangely exposed.

Ahhh, why are they looking at me like that? Did I do something wrong?

Her cheeks turned red, and she quickly lowered her eyes. "Thank you, Supreme Beta," she mumbled before turning around and hurrying out of the throne hall.

Alexander watched her leave with a raised eyebrow, while Janet stood frozen for a moment before turning toward him with a frown.

"Why did you scare her away?"

Alexander lifted both hands dramatically. "What did I do? I was here peacefully, and she suddenly ran away. How am I supposed to know why?"

Janet scoffed at him before following Hazel out, leaving Alexander laughing quietly to himself.

"When will that girl finally show her true self?" he murmured, glancing at Ethan. "I can tell she’s not as soft as she pretends to be."

Ethan raised an eyebrow but didn’t answer immediately. His attention had shifted to Janet, who was walking away while secretly trying to steal one last glance at him.

Unfortunately for her, Ethan was already watching. The moment their eyes met, Janet quickly looked away, her cheeks turning red as she hurried after Hazel.

"She has a lot to do," Ethan said, ignoring his friend’s amusement. "Doris will be arriving tomorrow, and we have more important things to worry about."