Chapter 80: Running out of time

Alexander’s smile widened as he looked toward the entrance through which Janet had disappeared. "I heard the human girl is with her, and you aren’t stopping her from staying here. Hmm..." He raised an eyebrow, looking at Ethan with open suspicion. "Don’t tell me you’re planning to use that girl to pull Janet closer to you?"

Ethan rolled his eyes and released a tired sigh. "You are so noisy and annoying."

Alexander laughed as he leaned back in his seat. "What? You and His Majesty seriously need lessons on how to communicate with your partners. What the hell is wrong with both of you? One man avoids his mate, another man keeps making decisions for his mate, and you seem determined to make your own life difficult!"

But before he could continue his lecture, Ethan stood up and walked away without giving him another glance.

Alexander stared after him for a moment before bursting into laughter again.

"See? This is exactly what I’m talking about!"

...

Hazel sat alone in the flower garden, staring at the flowers without really seeing them. The garden had always been one of her favorite places in the palace because of its beauty and peaceful atmosphere, but lately, even this place seemed to have lost its charm. The beautiful sunflowers had lost their bright yellow color, while the white roses that once looked pure and lovely were slowly turning grey.

She reached out and touched one of the roses, rubbing its soft petals between her fingers as she wondered what was happening to the palace. She had noticed the changes for days, but she couldn’t stop thinking about how closely they seemed to be connected to Caius’s condition.

Was the palace truly reacting to its king’s weakness, or was she simply imagining things because she couldn’t stop worrying about him?

Hazel sighed and lowered her head, remembering how Caius had been avoiding her since their night together. She still couldn’t understand why he had suddenly changed, especially when she was more than willing to help him recover. He needed her blood, and she had already decided that she would give it to him, yet he continued to suffer rather than ask her for help.

What was she supposed to do when the man she loved refused to let her get close enough to save him?

Just as she was lost in her thoughts, she heard hurried footsteps coming from the other side of the garden. She raised her head and saw Akeelah running toward the palace entrance with Janet beside her, both women looking troubled.

"I can’t heal him! He’s the strongest!" Akeelah complained, shaking her head in frustration as they hurried past the flower beds.

Janet groaned and rubbed her forehead. "But he refuses to drink his mate blood because he thinks she hates him! The only solution now is to find a way to stop him from vomiting that damn blood. Ahhh, this man is going to drive everyone crazy!"

Hazel froze.

For a moment, she wondered whether she had heard them correctly, but the worry on Janet’s face left little room for doubt. Caius was getting worse, and even Akeelah couldn’t heal him.

Her fingers slowly curled around the edge of her dress as she looked down at her hand.

The scent-covering potion will wear off today. She had been using Rita’s potion to hide her natural scent because it affected Caius in ways neither of them seemed able to control. However, she had started wondering whether hiding her scent was making things worse, especially when he was already struggling with his curse.

Hazel released a quiet sigh, then a small smile appeared on her face.

Let’s see how you plan to resist me when I stop using the potion.

...

Alexander stared at Akeelah with a deep frown, clearly unhappy with the news she had just given him. He had known that Caius’s condition was serious, but hearing that even Akeelah couldn’t help him made the situation feel much worse.

"You brought Hazel back from death," he reminded her, his voice growing colder. "So how is it possible that you can’t stop him from vomiting blood?"

Akeelah trembled slightly under his gaze. Although Alexander was often playful around his friends, she knew better than to mistake his smile for kindness when he was angry. At that moment, he wasn’t smiling at all, and she had no desire to become the target of his frustration.

"I...I don’t know how it happened," she stammered, lowering her eyes. "When I tried to heal him, it felt as if some unknown energy had entered my body. I’ve never experienced anything like that before, and I couldn’t understand where it came from."

Alexander opened his mouth to question her further, but before he could speak, a guard came running toward them. The man stopped in front of Alexander and Ethan, bowed respectfully, and delivered the news that immediately changed the atmosphere.

"Your Highnesses, two high-ranking demons have been spotted in front of the palace!"

Janet’s eyes widened before she let out an irritated groan.

"Of course! They must have sensed His Majesty’s weakness, which is why they’re bold enough to come here now!" She clenched her fists, looking ready to attack the demons herself. "They wouldn’t dare show their faces so openly if they thought he was still at full strength."

Alexander’s expression darkened as he turned toward the guard.

"Where are they right now?"

The guard swallowed nervously before answering. "They are already inside the palace, Your Highness. They came in their human forms, and the guards couldn’t stop them before they entered."

For a moment, nobody spoke.

The demons had entered the palace despite knowing that it belonged to the most feared Werewolf King in history. Either they were foolish enough to believe they could defeat Caius, or they knew something about his condition that made them confident enough to take such a risk.

Alexander’s jaw tightened as he turned toward the entrance. "Fine. I’ll deal with them myself." He began walking away, his steps steady and his expression frighteningly calm. Anyone who knew him well would have understood that his calmness was far more dangerous than his usual anger, because Alexander rarely allowed anyone to see how he truly felt when he was ready to fight.

Janet watched him leave before turning toward Ethan with a worried expression. "He’s pissed," she whispered. "Please tell me you’re going to stop him before he does something that will make the situation worse."

Ethan quickly sent a mind-link to Alexander.

[Don’t kill them. Remember, we need two witches and two demons for something.]