The heavy thuds of boots moving across the hard marble echoed through the halls as Cyrus made his presence known in the royal palace.
His stern gaze swept over Miss Quinn, who was already waiting for him at the entrance.
The man walked further inside but paused when he saw the lady looking at the door anxiously.
Realization dawned upon him.
She wasn’t waiting for him, her King, but soone else.
"Where is Alia?" He asked ticulously.
Miss Quinn’s attention shifted to King Cyrus, and she wondered if the man knew about what happened at the University.
Fabian had inford her to ask the doctor to be on standby just in case she needed a second checkup.
"Umm... she is at University." Miss Quinn’s hesitation gave away her nervousness, and Cyrus rembered that Fabian had indeed ntioned sothing like Alia being in trouble.
When he asked if she was fine, Fabian said she was.
But if that was the case, why was the anxiousness on Miss Quinn’s face telling a different story?
"What happened?" He asked.
His voice was cold and curt, an indication that he won’t entertain any bullshit and needed a straight answer.
Miss Quinn looked down at her feet in submission before telling him what she had learnt from Fabian.
The more Cyrus heard, the angrier he beca, and his fists clenched by his side.
Without wasting a second, he left the palace, not even bothering to take Trevor, his driver, with him, as he drove the car straight to the University as fast as he could.
His jaws were clenched, and his golden eyes burned with fury as he parked the car right before the university building.
"Sir, you can’t park your—" the guard said as he walked to the driver’s seat, but paused when he saw the dangerous beast’s eyes.
He bowed, tilting his head to expose his neck as pure submission and apology for daring to speak before him.
Nothing mattered to Cyrus at the mont.
He opened the door and walked to the building.
Fabian, who felt his King’s presence as he was on the ground floor, following the principal to the building where the incident took place, froze in his place.
"King Cyrus is here," he said, and his words made the Principal and Vice Principal look at him with wide eyes.
Fabian didn’t waste a second and rushed to the entrance.
"Sir–" Fabian looked into his eyes and gulped.
Sweat ford on his forehead as he tried to explain.
"Sir, I didn’t want to disturb your eting with the North Alphas because you said that it was important –"
"You thought political etings were more important than Alia’s life and dignity? She could’ve died, Fabian. Worse, she could’ve been disgraced forever and the kind of scar –" Cyrus didn’t even want to speak about it.
The guards and professors dropped their gazes, the weight of his presence making the air heavy and the surroundings lethal.
By now, everyone was inford that King Cyrus was at the University, and an attack on a student happened in the rogues’ building. Much worse, it was planned by another student.
Cyrus pushed the door open when he reached the infirmary and saw the girl lying on the bed with her eyes closed.
Alia was curled in a cocoon, hugging her knees close to her chest with the blanket draped over her. Her long hair sprawled across the pillow, and her pale face, with dried tears on her cheeks and the side of her eyes, made his heart clench.
The sa girl who loved to sleep with her body sprawled on the bed was in a cocoon today, probably subconsciously protecting herself.
As if she sensed his presence, she opened her eyes subtly.
Her expression was unreadable. She didn’t look jolly or sad, either. The light in her eyes had dinner, and Cyrus’s fists clenched.
He strode inside the room. Seeing her safe relaxed him a little, but it didn’t calm the rage in his heart at Miss Quinn’s words. The fact that Alia had been attacked at the University yet again, grabbed by rogues who tried to disgrace her, filled him with fury.
He looked at Fabian from the corner of his eye, and the man imdiately understood the signal.
He ushered everyone out, walking out himself and closing the door.
"Why didn’t you tell ?" Cyrus asked.
Alia tried to sit, and Cyrus’s gaze imdiately landed on her torn clothes, which she had wrapped around herself pitifully.
"I didn’t want to cause you panic. I always say I will protect you, but I worry you. It’s already a burden that you had to marry a weak healer you hate. I... just... I am fine now," Alia forced a smile on her face, breaking Cyrus’s heart even more.
How dare she smile even after suffering so much? If she were in pain, she should tell him. He was her husband, and it was his duty to take care of her —
"And when did you exactly act like a husband? Rember the ti you made her kneel just because Patrick said sothing? Rember when you said you won’t trust a healer and loathe the species?" Sylas’s words were like a slap on his face, and Cyrus took a deep breath.
"Fine?" his voice broke with emotion.
"They tried to strip you in broad daylight, aided by one of the she-wolves who probably wanted you humiliated beyond recovery. Do you think I can treat this as a mild inconvenience?" Cyrus asked.
Alia smiled at his words again, sothing he was getting irritated at.
"Don’t fucking smile! Cry if you want to. I am here, your husband is here. You don’t need to pretend to be strong before , for the moon goddess’s sake!" Cyrus raised his voice.
Alia’s smile froze before she turned her lips into a pout.
"You are scaring ," she whispered, and the man took a deep breath to calm himself.
He was angry, but he didn’t want to hurt her.
"I am sorry," he whispered before he walked to the bed and took off his overcoat.
Draping the coat over her body, his gaze lingered on the stab wound on her hand that she had used to stay conscious.
He wrapped his hands around her before pulling her in for a hug, making her place her head on his chest.
Alia felt warmth engulfing her imdiately, and she closed her eyes, inhaling his scent.
How was this possible? Why would she feel so calm and happy with the King if that man were her mate? This couldn’t be just because he was her husband.
How could she feel the sa way for both n? It didn’t make any sense at all.
"I should’ve been here," He said before tightening his hold on her, not saying how Sparrow should’ve been the one to save her.
"And Fabian should’ve inford on ti," he whispered, feeling guilty.
"I don’t want to cause any trouble. I just want to move past it," Alia said ekly.
He pulled away and stared at her face for a few seconds.
"You didn’t deserve this, Alia. And you don’t deserve to keep ensuring this. I don’t deserve your silence when I am failing to protect you. Tell your grievances, Alia," Cyrus said.
Alia was startled a little at the vulnerability in his voice before she nodded.
"Whoever did this..." Cyrus paused.
"That man appeared for the second ti to protect you. Do you know him?" He asked.
Alia froze for a mont before shaking her head.
She was still unsure about him and didn’t want to cause any trouble until she was sure about what was going on by herself.
"I will deal with it. With them and with her–" Cyrus let the sentence trail off, a dangerously threatening tone in his voice against Alexia, and Alia gulped, not even wanting to imagine the fate the girl would get now.
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