Adrian did not sleep that night. He sat on the edge of the wide bed and stared at the painted ceiling until his eyes hurt. The palace was too quiet, and the silence pressed on his ears. Somewhere outside, a night guard called out the hour. The sound echoed through the halls and faded.
He could not stay here, because if this body belonged to a man named Caelan, and his own body was still lying in a hospital in Seoul, then there had to be a way back. He had not asked for this, and had not chosen this either, he only wanted Kate.
The thought came slowly at first, then stronger. "Maybe if this body dies, I can go back."
His heart beat faster because this was a crazy idea, but everything around him was already crazy. He remembered the bullet. He remembered the pain. Then darkness. Then this place.
Maybe death is the door.
A knock came softly. A servant entered with a tray. On it stood a tall cup of wine and a small plate of fruit.
"For your strength, Your Majesty," the servant said, bowing low.
Adrian watched him leave. When the door shut, he reached for the cup. The dark liquid moved gently inside.
"If this works," he whispered, "I'll see you soon, Kate."
He had earlier overheard two maids whispering about a poisonous plant inside the palace that hunters used to kill wolves who turned rogue. The plant burned the throat and stopped the heart. He had asked a young servant about it, pretending he needs to know what he should be careful of, since he can't remember anything. Adrian plug the leaves without notifying anyone and he bring it out, and slipped the juice into the wine while shaking.
Now Adrian lifted the cup. "For Seoul," he said softly, and drank.
The liquid burned down his throat at once. His eyes watered as he coughed hard and almost dropped the cup. The pain spread into his chest, his stomach twisted and he fell to his knees as the cup rolled across the floor.
His body began to shake.
Inside a bright hospital room in Seoul, machines began to scream doctors rushed toward Adrian Kingston's bed. The monitor beside him showed a thin straight line.
"He's crashing!" a nurse shouted.
Kate, who had been sitting outside with her back straight and her face calm for the cameras, heard the alarm and stood up so fast her chair fell. She ran to the glass window. "Adrian!" she cried.
Doctors pressed on his chest, one of them called for more oxygen. Another checked his pulse again and again. "Come on," the doctor muttered. "Stay with us."
For a long second, the line did not move, then it jumped. A weak beat appeared.
The room filled with relieved voices, the doctor let out a long breath. "He's back. It was brief, but he's back."
Kate covered her mouth with both hands. Tears slipped down her face as she slide to the ground panting hard. "He's strong," she said to herself. "My husband is strong."
Back in Daeyun, Adrian's body hit the cold floor.
Guards burst into the room when they heard the crash. One shouted for the physician and another kicked the cup away.
"The king has been poisoned!" someone cried.
Within moments, the chamber filled with chaos. The old physician forced a bitter liquid into Adrian's mouth and pressed on his chest while the servants held his shaking arms.
Adrian felt like he was falling into deep water again. He waited for the darkness to take him, but it did not. Instead, his lungs dragged in air as pain shot through him. He coughed hard and rolled onto his side.
"He lives!" the physician said loudly. "The poison was strong, but not enough to kill him."
Adrian lay there, weak and angry. "Not enough?"
Meanwhile, later that night, in a private chamber lit by a single lamp, High Chief Dorthane stood before Queen Elowen. She had removed her crown, and her long dark hair fell over her shoulders with her eyes were red from crying.
"You asked to see me," she said quietly.
Dorthane bowed his head, but his gaze was fixed on her after raising his head. "Your Majesty, forgive my boldness. I fear for the kingdom, especially for us."
"You fear for the kingdom," she repeated, her voice cold. "Or for yourself?"
He stepped closer. "The king's behavior is not normal, we all saw how he speaks of another world that did not exist, and hours ago, he rejected his own wife to be. Also he tried to poison himself tonight."
Elowen's hands tightened. "He is ill, we all know that."
"Permit me to say this, what if his pretending," Dorthane said softly. "Perhaps he heard something he should not have, the night before he collapsed. He caught Vaelor and I speaking."
The queen's head snapped up. "Choose your words carefully Dorthane."
"I only speak truth," Dorthane replied. "If Caelan heard about us, about our meetings, then he may expose everything."
Her eyes flashed. "Even if he heard, nothing must happen to him. He is my son!"
Dorthane's jaw hardened. "If he spreads rumors about you and me, about our pack secret, the other Alpha leaders will move against us, and the king death will be pinned on us. And they might take the throne."
Elowen stepped forward, her anger rising. "You think I would harm my own child to protect gossip about our affair?" She step closer to him and look straight into his eyes, "Nothing must happen to my son."
"Even if he spreads it?" Dorthane rose, stepping into her space. "Think about the pack, Elowen! Not just one boy, Think about the whole clan. People will mock us, and if the other packs smell weakness, they won't hesitate. You know that."
She slapped him hard, enough to echo. "Don't you dare tell me what I should think about my son."
Dorthane touched his cheek, then smiled the way wolves smile before they bite. For a moment, silence filled the room. Then he reached out and pulled her into a sudden kiss. She pushed him back at once, fury in her eyes.
"Leave," she hissed.
He smiled slightly. "I will not go down alone, Your Majesty." Then he turned and left her chamber, his steps calm.