Chapter 36

Amira’s POV.

After Nikolas had his way with me, our passion had subsided, Nikolas took care of me, cleaning me up and dressing me in some of the clothes that he had in his office. There was just something about the way he did aftercare that left me wanting more but he decided I was tired and in all honesty, he was right. Nikolas was amazing like that, he knew my body better than I did.

I found myself nestled against his chest, basking in the warmth and safety of his embrace. His scent enveloped me, leaving me in awe of the man before me, a powerful king and that job wasn’t as easy as one might think. He seldom had a day off, still, he always made time for me, his queen.

As I lay there, close to drifting off to sleep, I suddenly heard Nikolas cursing loudly. His heart was racing, and I was instantly wide awake, my curiosity piqued.

“Is everything ok?” I wondered, running my fingers over his beard. Trying to comfort him as he now looked at me.

Nikolas's hazel eyes were clouded with frustration as he looked at me, forcing a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. He assured me to go to sleep, but I could sense the worry that lurked beneath the surface. “Yes, go to sleep my queen,” he kissed my forehead and then lips briefly.

“Niko, are you being honest with me right now?” I looked up at him, narrowing my eyes on him but goddess, I was so tired I was sure I barely even looked intimidating.

“Baby, you’ve got nothing to worry about, just get some rest ok?” Nikolas assured me, running his fingers through my hair as he leaned down to capture my lips between his for a last kiss.

With that, I believed him and drifted off to sleep. I needed my moment of tranquillity and he offered me just that right here in his arms.

As I went about my week, attending my classes and trying to focus on my studies, I couldn't help but notice the slight changes around me. Mila, my dear friend and classmate, was still recovering from her recent kidnapping, and I could see the lingering effects on her. Despite her father's wishes, her mate, Alpha Caine, was around more often, trying to be there for her, but also keeping a watchful eye on her safety.

Alpha Caine was every bit of perfect and dreamy, just the mate Mila had been hoping for, however, the situation with her father wasn’t too ideal and Mila already had so much going on.

It was evident that Mila was still shaken from her traumatic experience, and I tried to offer her as much support as I could, lending a listening ear and comforting her whenever she needed it. I was her escape when the arguments between her father and Caine became too much and I was just glad to be able to help her.

However, amidst Mila's recovery, I couldn't shake off the feeling that something was off. My dearest husband had been more tense than usual, and I had noticed an increased presence of guards around me. As a royal member, now queen, I was accustomed to having some level of security, but this felt different. There was an air of urgency and caution that seemed to surround Nikolas and the guards, and it left me feeling uneasy. He knew something I didn’t and something told me he’d keep it that way for as long as he could.

I couldn't shake off the feeling of unease. Despite Nikolas's efforts to keep me in the dark about the threats, I couldn't help but sense that something was amiss. His constant vigilance, the increased security measures, and the guarded conversations had me on edge. I appreciated his desire to protect me, but I was also growing increasingly anxious. I needed to know what was going on, and my curiosity mixed with concern reached a boiling point.

One evening, after a particularly tense day, I couldn't contain my worries any longer. I’ve finally had enough, I had every right to know. Despite what Nikolas might think, he was actually worrying me more than anything else.

“Nikolas, I’ve had enough, tell me what’s wrong,” I shut his book, gaining his attention immediately.

His lips curled into a smile and he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into his lap, “Nothing baby, come here.”

“How was your day?” He then asked with his lips pressing kisses to my neck. For a moment I almost got lost in it, then I realized what he was doing and pushed him away, which must’ve been the most difficult thing to do.

“Cute, but that won’t work and don’t you dare think of seducing me,” I narrowed my eyes at him, placing my hands on my hips as I looked down at him.

“Why? That would work?” He wiggled his eyebrow. Nikolas only played this cute and sweet role when he was hiding something. Don’t get me wrong, he is a nice man but the sweet-like syrup behavior was to be seen through.

“Nikolas, I’m serious, I’m your wife, your queen, I have every right to know why you’re being so cautious,” I sighed and took his hands in mine. “You canceled date night and prefer to now stay within our border and you have a million guards following me, I’m not stupid,” I reminded him, praying to the moon goddess that he’d be honest with me.

“No, you’re not, but you could work on your counting,” Nikolas sighed and got up, placing his hands on his hips. “It’s only ten guards,” Nikolas deflected which had me rolling my eyes. So he wouldn’t lie, but he also wouldn’t speak the truth.

"Nikolas, you need to talk to me," I said, my tone firm as I stood my ground in front of him. I could see the conflict in his eyes, but I was determined to make him understand. "I can't take being kept in the dark any longer. If you don't tell me what's going on, I'm walking out that door, and you won't get anything for three weeks straight."

I could see the surprise in Nikolas's eyes at my threat, and I knew I had his attention. I had never used such a tactic before, but I was desperate to make him see that I could handle whatever was going on. It wasn't his job to protect me; it was his parents' over-protectiveness that had messed me up in the past.

Nikolas hesitated, his jaw clenched, but then he let out a sigh of resignation. “Amira, sit down,” he sighed.

“Will you tell me?”

“Yes, I’ll tell you,” he kneeled in front of me as I sat down.

I stared into those eyes and it was right then it hit me, he had something in his eyes I had never seen in him before. Fear. He was scared, the most ruthless king was scared of something and that worried me now. “What’s wrong, I can tell you’re scared too and that rarely happens…”

“Amira, we messed up,” Nikolas sighed, taking my hands in his as he brought it to his forehead. “You used your powers in public,” he whispered and I stopped breathing for a moment, hoping that this pause would change things but it hadn’t. Reality remained the same.

“I- I didn’t think anyone noticed,” I pointed out. By now there would’ve been tons of questions if it had!

“No one in that room noticed but somehow, someone got a whiff of it, they know wolves like you exist and something tells me it is those rebels that murdered your old pack that have something to do with this,” Nikolas explained.

“I don’t understand,” I frowned. What did this mean, which rebels?! The very ones that took my parents' life?

“There are rumors going around that wolves with telekinesis still exist and apparently they knew something happened down at the burning cabin the night we saved Mila. There’s a clip, it’s distorted but you can very well see someone using telekinesis, their power and blast clearly to be seen but nobody can see who it came from,” Nikolas explained better and got up. He placed his hands on his hips and stared out the window for a moment.

“So, my identity is safe- but for how long,” I whispered, knowing that was the question stuck in his head, that was the reason he had fear in his eyes. It was all because of me.

“Someone will talk and soon enough they’ll know exactly who and who is there, all of us couldn’t become potential suspects but Amira is out of the whole list, you stick out like a sore thumb- unless one of Ronan’s guards has a more tragic story than yours,” Nikolas shared his worries with me and all I could think of was his words. I felt a knot forming in my stomach as the weight of the situation dawned on me. The secret of my survival could potentially be revealed, and I could become a prime suspect in whatever danger loomed over us.

“Am I in danger, Niko?” I asked with a shaking voice. Would all the hard work of the Hayes’ go to vain? Would all my offers have been for nothing?

“Very soon you will be. But I know one thing, you, we, have more allies. If these rebels think to finish what they started years ago they will come to crumble down and I will make sure none of them roam this earth ever again,” he vowed to me. Though he broke his first wedding vow to me, something told me that he would honor this one.