He strode down the colonnaded corridor, sandals striking hard against the marble. When he reached the Megarian quarters, he didn’t hesitate—he kicked open Nik’s door and rushed inside.
Flickering candlelight cast jagged shadows across the room, just enough to catch the sheen of frost creeping up Nik’s arm.
Nik bolted upright, clutching his forearm, his features tight with pain. The golden circle of the Messenger’s Mark gleamed faintly on his chest. “Leukos, what happened?”
“Help me!” Leukos’ voice cracked. Alena whimpered in his arms, pale against the dark blue cloak.
Nik sprang from the bed, dragging on his tunic. The moment he saw her, his face blanched. “Fuck—what happened?”
“Find a Gifted healer, quickly!” Leukos urged. If the ice had reached her veins—her bones, her heart?—
Nik didn’t waste another word. He shot out of the room, moving faster than Leukos had ever seen.
Left alone with Alena, Leukos laid her carefully on the bed, his gut twisting at the sight of her lashes clumped with tears, her skin far too pale. Agony etched her face like a visceral blow to his own body.
Helplessness crashed over him. He ached to pull her into his arms, but fear held him back; he couldn’t risk inflicting more pain. Instead, he brought a candle closer. Warm light danced across her face, revealing the icy patch along her jaw. “The ice isn’t spreading,” he whispered, trying to mask his underlying panic. “Try not to move.”
Her lips pressed tight, body coiled with tension. Every shallow breath laced with pain. A tear slid down her cheek, catching the flame’s glow. “It hurts…”
Leukos felt his insides shred. The cold must be burrowing deeper.
“I know, love,” he said before he could stop himself. He hadn’t meant to say it, hadn’t even let himselfthinkit, but nothing else felt right.
He wrapped his hand over hers, keeping the cloak as a barrier. She clutched back, her trembling fingers sealing the trust between them, and his chest tightened at the simple act. “Nik will be here soon,” he promised. “Just hold on for me. A little longer. Please, Alena.”
She quivered beneath his touch, fragile and fading—and in that moment, the truth struck with breathtaking clarity.
Gods.
He loved her.
He loved her so much it terrified him.
How could he ever have thought to let her go in the name of duty? If she survived this night, he swore he’d do better. He would train until exhaustion claimed him, push his wild magic into submission. He would keep his distance, even if it shattered him. Because the thought of seeing this agony on her face again was unbearable.
If protecting her meant breaking his own heart, then so be it. He would love her silently, from afar. Because she deserved everything—and he deserved nothing.
He whispered reassurances, quiet apologies threaded through every word, brushing his thumb over her covered hand. “You’re strong, Alena. Just a little longer.”
Footsteps thundered closer. Nik burst back into the room with a healer at his side. She rushed to Alena the moment she saw the frost on her jaw, her face taut with worry.
“Out of the way!” she barked.
Leukos stumbled back as her hands swept over Alena with practised urgency, checking her pupils, her pulse, the line of her throat. Two more healers arrived moments later.
“She’s unconscious,” the first healer said, already channelling her power. A soft, radiant light poured from her palms, its warmth cutting against the ice gripping Alena’s body.
Leukos’ chest tightened, panic surging like a tidal wave as he watched her lie motionless, her breaths shallow and faint. His hands clenched at his sides, thoughts racing.
“No,” he said, lurching closer. “She was awake just a moment ago. She was fine—she spoke to me?—”
“Prince Leukos,” the healer cut in, her tone leaving no room for argument. “If you want us to save her, you need to leave.”
Disbelief roared through him. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“Leukos.” Nik’s voice came softly from the doorway. “Let them work.”
Leukos’ gaze stayed fixed on Alena’s pale face. How could he walk away now? Not when she looked so fragile, so lifeless. The thought of stepping aside clawed at him, the visceral ache in his chest intensifying.
