?Chapter 524:


    At my door, he gave a grave warning. “The assassin is still atrge—it’s dangerous out here. Don’t wander around.”


    I nodded obediently, though my thoughts spun in a constant, relentless loop.


    As soon as the soldier left, I closed the door behind me, ready to exhale in relief. But as I turned around, my heart nearly stopped. There, on the sofa in the dimly lit living room, sat the mysterious man.


    “What are you doing here?” I gasped, eyes widening as I rushed toward him. “Was it you who tried to assassinate the king?”


    He nced at me with an indifferent calm, his expression unreadable. “And if it was? Would you turn me in?”


    I rolled my eyes at him, exasperation mingling with anxiety. “If I wanted to turn you in, I wouldn’t have just helped you slip past the guard,” I shot back.


    Then, taking a deep breath, I asked, “But why? Why would you risk it all to kill the king?”


    His expression darkened, eyes glinting with raw hatred. “Because he deserves to die,” he spat, each word edged with venom.


    In the dim light, the mask on his face glinted eerily, casting half his face in shadow, and for a moment, he looked almost spectral.


    “Do you even know your own identity?” he continued, his voice low and chilling. “Or the blood feud that’s raged between the white wolves and the Lycan n for many years?”


    His words struck me, peeling backyers of truth I had kept buried. My chest tightened as I fought against the questions I’d so carefully avoided.


    “Back then…” I began, trying to grasp the beginnings of his story. “What happened?”


    Before I could press him further, he let out a sharp, pained groan and slumped weakly onto the sofa. Only then did I notice his injuries, blood seeping into the fabric, concealed until now by the night’s shadows.


    The ce for great stories: g?lnσν???s


    “Oh no!” I whispered, about to rush forward to tend to him, when footsteps sounded from the stairs, stopping me cold.


    I turned, pulse-pounding as I looked up toward the staircase.


    It was Dominic!


    Makenna’s POV:


    As I watched Dominic descend the staircase, he seemed half-awake, his gaze distant with that telltale fog of a hangover. Just the sight of him made my pulse skip; this was thest person I needed to bump into today. If chance had given me a choice, I’d have dly picked anyone but Dominic. He was sharp, far too perceptive for my liking, and I doubted my ability to keep secrets from him for long.


    I forced myself to remain calm, nced at the mysterious man slouched on the couch, and only then did I exhale in relief. Dominic couldn’t see the man from his position on the staircase because the man was stretched out on the couch, his body hidden by the shadows and low light. But I knew that if I didn’t act, Dominic would inevitably spot him.


    Swallowing the rising tension, I masked my nerves with a forced calmness and moved to intercept Dominic, positioning myself in front of him on the stairs.


    “Your Highness,” I greeted, feigning an air of nonchnce, “why are you up and about instead of resting?”


    Dominic, looking more than a little dazed, shook his head with a tired chuckle. “Just needed toe down for a drink of water.”


    I felt my heart leap into my throat. If he wasing down for water, he’d surely notice the man on the sofa. Thinking on my feet, I stepped directly in his path, blurting out the first excuse that came to mind.


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