They Mocked the Scarred Omega at Court — The Alpha King Touched Her Face and Changed Everything 🐺👑

The clock in the central bell tower chimed three times in the dead of night.

Hiana lay awake in the massive feather bed, listening to the deep, even breathing of Aiden, who sat at a massive oak desk near the balcony, reviewing intelligence reports brought by northern scouts. The moonlight poured through the frost-covered glass, casting silver patterns across the Persian rugs.

She couldn't sleep. Too many ghosts haunted her mind.

Rising quietly from the bed, slipping a heavy woolen cloak over her shoulders, she stepped out into the dimly lit stone corridor. She needed air. The sheer opulence of the royal wing felt suffocating compared to the harsh realities she had known for half a decade.

As she walked softly down the stone hallway toward the courtyard balcony, a soft, scratching sound echoed from the dark alcove near the old library.

Tap. Tap. Scrape.

Hiana froze, her instincts flaring. She pressed her back against the cold stone wall, holding her breath.

A shadow detached itself from the gloom.

It was a young kitchen boy, no older than fourteen, trembling violently as he clutched a small, silver-rimmed teacup in both hands. His face was pale, his eyes wide with stark terror.

"H-Hiana?" the boy whispered, his voice cracking.

"Lucas?" Hiana stepped out of the shadow, recognizing the boy who had often shared his meager crusts of bread with her in the scullery. "What are you doing out here at this hour? Why are you shaking?"

Lucas looked around frantically, as if invisible eyes were watching them from the dark vaulted ceiling. He lunged forward, grabbing the edge of Hiana’s cloak.

"You... you have to be careful," Lucas stammered, tears spilling over his eyelashes. "The senior chamberlain... Lord Vane... he found me in the kitchens an hour ago. He... he gave me this." The boy held up the silver teacup with shaking fingers. "He told me to sneak it up to the king’s private study. He said it was a special calming draft for His Majesty after the stress of the banquet."

Hiana’s blood ran ice-cold. Lord Vane was one of the most powerful, influential nobles in the court—a ruthless schemer who had fiercely opposed Aiden’s northern military reforms and had been uncomfortably close to the late king's suspicious death.

"Did you take it up?" Hiana asked, her voice dropping to a harsh whisper.

"No! No, I swear!" Lucas sobbed quietly. "I smelled it. It smelled... it smelled like crushed nightshade and silver-root. That’s not a calming draft, Hiana. That’s a slow-acting poison designed to paralyze a wolf's inner beast and rot his organs from the inside out! If His Majesty drinks that..."

Hiana’s heart slammed against her ribs. They weren't just plotting against her; they were trying to assassinate the Alpha King.

"Give it to me," Hiana said firmly, holding out her hand.

"Hiana, no! If Vane catches you—"

"Give it to me, Lucas. Go back to the servants' quarters and lock your door. Speak to no one. I will handle this."

Before the boy could argue further, heavy footsteps echoed from the far end of the corridor—the unmistakable, iron-shod boots of the castle guards on patrol. Panic surged through Hiana. Clutching the silver teacup tightly to her chest, she darted into the shadowed alcove of the old library, pulling the heavy velvet curtains shut just as a pair of guards marched past.

When the footsteps died away, Hiana exhaled a shaky breath. She looked down at the dark, swirling liquid inside the cup.