Chapter 5 THE WOLFS OBSESSION

Nicolette's point of view

I didn't understand the king.

One minute, he looked at me like I was something he wanted to destroy.

The next, like I was something he didn't dare touch.

And then,he touched me anyway.

He summoned me to his chambers on the fourth morning after the banquet. No explanation. No emotion. Just a single, scrawled message delivered by a terrified guard.

"Nicholas. Report to the East Wing. Bring nothing."

-Ashen Vladimir III

Bring nothing.

As if I had anything to bring.

I had barely slept the night before, heart pounding after seeing Nicolina walk through the banquet like a lamb in a den of wolves. She'd done well,kept her head down, didn't even glance at me. But it had almost destroyed me to keep my arms at my side. To not run to her.

To not scream.

I stood now at the threshold of Ashen's chambers, head lowered, spine tight, heart hammering.

A low voice spoke behind the door.

"Enter."

His chambers were a forest of shadows,high ceilings, carved stone walls, an unlit fireplace that still radiated warmth. A map of the northern territories spread across one wall, marked with red tacks and threads. Books lined another.

Ashen stood by the window, staring at the gardens below.

He didn't look at me.

"You'll be serving here for the week," he said. "Clean. Sort. Polish. No excuses. No whining."

"Yes, Your Highness."

He turned sharply, eyes narrowing. "Why do you always look me in the eye?"

I blinked. "You ordered me to."

He smirked. "And if I order you not to?"

"I will follow."

"Good," he said, voice lower now. "Because I'm watching you, Nicholas. Every step. Every breath. You don't walk like a slave."

"I'm sorry."

"You're not," he said.

He stepped forward. Too close.

I didn't flinch.

That seemed to amuse him more.

He studied my face for a beat too long. My pulse drummed in my ears. I could smell his scent,smoke, cedar, blood.

Then he turned away.

"Training grounds. In ten minutes."

Sparring with him was like dancing with death. Beautiful. Terrifying. All-consuming.

I blocked his first three strikes with precision, parried the fourth with a twist of my wrist that made his eyebrow rise.

The guards circled us in silence, their expressions ranging from awe to disbelief.

Strike. Block. Spin. Slide.

Then-

He caught me off-guard.

Ashen's foot swept my legs out from under me and I hit the mat with a thud, breath stolen from my chest.

Before I could recover, he was on me,pinning me down, arm across my throat, his knee caging my hip.

Too close.

Too heavy.

Too aware.

His breath fanned my face. Our gazes locked.

Something changed in his eyes.

It wasn't anger.

It wasn't triumph.

It was...

want.

His gaze dropped to my mouth. I saw the moment his control faltered.

His lips moved forward,an inch. Just one.

My heart stopped.

And then-

He jerked back.

As if burned.

He stumbled to his feet and turned away, shoulders stiff, fists clenched.

I lay still on the ground, too stunned to breathe.

He didn't speak.

Didn't look at me.

"Leave," he growled.

I left.

---

That night, the palace walls groaned with tension.

Ashen lashed out at three guards during evening drills. A wine goblet shattered against the throne room wall. He barked at a servant for walking too slowly and nearly broke a chair in the war chamber.

He was unraveling.

And I was the thread.

I learned that Dominica had cast a spell the next morning.

She never said so, of course.

But I caught her in the eastern tower, eyes rolled back, fingers curled around a bowl of ink. The liquid swirled with silver flecks, flashing with half-formed images.

A crown.

A field of wildflowers.

A girl kneeling at a stream.

Then a scream.

Dominica gasped and pulled her hand free, ink splattering the wall behind her.

"Nicholas," she whispered, voice shaking with something between awe and fear. "Who are you?"

I ducked back around the corner before she could see me.

Later that afternoon, the palace gates opened for the first time in weeks.

Andy had returned from the Northern Border.

I'd never met him,but I'd heard the whispers. The king's cousin. Brutal. Loyal. A born wolf who took no prisoners.

He entered the courtyard like a storm in furs,broad, loud, charming in a way that made my skin crawl.

He met Ashen in the throne room with a clap of arms and a blood brother's embrace.

And then he saw me.

His smile faded.

"What's this?" he asked, eyes flicking over me like I was dirt on a blade.

"A servant," Ashen said.

Andy's eyes narrowed. "He smells like a lie."

Ashen said nothing.

But he didn't correct him, either.

From that moment, I had two enemies under the same roof.

That night, I couldn't bear the silence.

I waited until the guards rotated and slipped into the hall through a hidden panel behind the servant's quarters. The tunnels were dark and tight, smelling of stone and damp earth. But I'd memorized the path to the lower kitchens.

Nicolina was there, washing roots in the corner, her hair tied in a messy braid.

"Nicolette!" she whispered when she saw me. Her eyes were wide, frantic. "I thought you were dead."

I pulled her into a tight hug, blinking back tears. "I'm okay. I'm still okay."

"Why did they bring me here?" she asked. "They said they needed extra help. That's a lie, right?"

I nodded. "It's not safe. But I'm trying to find a way out. Just-just stay quiet. Stay small."

She looked up at me, jaw tight. "And you?"

I hesitated. "I'll be fine."

We didn't get to say more.

A clatter outside the kitchen made us both freeze.

I darted into the pantry and waited.

Voices passed. Feet shuffled.

No one entered.

I let out a slow breath.

"Go," I whispered to Nicolina. "I'll see you soon."

When I returned to my room, the candle had burned low.

Something felt... off.

I stepped carefully, scanning the floor. The bed. The window.

And then I saw it.

A dagger.

Lying beneath the pillow.

My hand trembled as I picked it up.

It was small. Sharp. Freshly cleaned.

Wrapped around the hilt was a slip of parchment.

Seven words, scrawled in blood-red ink:

"I know who you are. One wrong move, and Nicolina dies."