Perry’s POV
"Why did you poison yourself?" I repeated the question when Phoebe remained silent. "Why would you do such a thing? If your goal was to kill , there were countless other ways to make consu poison."
I knew the truth now.
Phoebe seed uncertain about how I’d discovered her thod of administering poison to , but it no longer mattered. She slapped my hand away and sat down, fixing with a fierce glare.
"Don’t... touch... ." Phoebe forced out each word through gritted teeth, struggling to speak. Her throat was constricting again—the sa response that always surfaced when her emotions spiraled out of control.
Phoebe’s breathing beca rapid and shallow. I could see she despised this vulnerability, especially with so close. My anger and frustration were written all over my face, and she could read it clearly.
"Tell why you poisoned yourself," I demanded, gripping her shoulders. I attempted gentleness, but at this mont, I had to acknowledge that tenderness wasn’t embedded in my nature. "Did you... truly want to be with ?"
That’s what Phoebe had claid when she said she’d stopped poisoning . She wanted to be with . Was any of it real?
The realization that she’d deliberately hurt herself while hurting transford everything in my mind.
Did she... actually want ?
"Tell , Phoebe. Do you truly want ?" I searched her eyes, but she shook her head. Her lips pressed together tightly, hatred radiating from every pore. "Please... tell you want ..."
Phoebe parted her lips, struggling to force sound from her throat. Despite the obvious difficulty, she finally managed to speak.
"I... want you..." My expression softened, but then Phoebe added the final word. "...Dead."
She wanted dead. That asured the depth of her hatred.
"Go... die..." Phoebe struggled with each syllable, but her eyes conveyed her emotions more powerfully than words ever could.
The agony and tornt she’d endured would remain carved into her soul forever.
She’d faced abandonnt before, but she’d believed her mate would offer sothing different.
She’d thought I would be different.
But once more, fate had proven her wrong.
I was just another person who refused to believe her. I was among those who had abandoned her. That’s all I was...
"No, you don’t want to die," I said, cupping her face. "You wouldn’t harm yourself if you truly wanted dead."
Phoebe seized my hands and raked her nails across them.
Her claws dug deep into my flesh, but I didn’t even wince.
I accepted it willingly. I would endure any pain she wished to inflict, because I’d earned it.
"Hurt , destroy , but I’ll never release you again, Phoebe."
I pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, despite her attempts to wound .
"Let go... I want to leave..."
This place felt like a prison. She couldn’t bear to stay here... the sa sensation Phoebe had experienced under Kevin’s control.
However, this ti felt ten tis more suffocating.
The crisis with the Valerium kingdom had stalled because they’d lost nurous warriors to the poison Kevin had orchestrated.
Not to ntion the civil war brewing in the kingdom’s southern region. Alpha Sterling was leading this rebellion.
"He claims we murdered his son, Kevin. Did you?" Flynn questioned . The southern packs had secured their defenses tightly, making intelligence gathering nearly impossible.
Because of this, we’d only just received confirmation of Kevin’s death.
"No," I answered. I felt irritated that soone had stolen Kevin from my grasp, but even more so when I learned he’d been killed.
I should have been the one to do it. I would have made his suffering exquisite paynt for what he’d done to Phoebe. What a waste, letting that opportunity slip through my fingers.
"Then who killed him? Soone’s spinning lies and pinning the bla on you." Flynn was seething. The public had turned against us ever since my killing spree began.
The only thing keeping them in line was their fear of , preventing them from speaking recklessly.
But fear had an expiration date. We needed to regain control of this situation, or we’d face attacks from every direction.
"Reginald," I stated calmly. It was unusual for to feel this composed.
The reason was simple: I could spend nights with Phoebe now. She’d exhausted herself after a full day of tantrums, so during the nightti hours, her energy depleted enough that I could sleep beside her without dodging murder attempts.
"Reginald?" Timothy’s eyebrows shot up. "How can you be certain?"
"He attempted to kill Caron during the attack." I glanced at Flynn. "He’s climbing the ranks, and eliminating Kevin secured his position as alpha of the Obsidian Claw pack. Have your spy monitor the relationship between Reginald and Sterling closely."
Flynn seed startled by the directive, but he was eager to carry it out. I’d always been sharp when it ca to reading situations. This kind of political maneuvering was my specialty.
"Where are you headed?" Timothy asked as I rose to exit the room.
"I miss Phoebe," I said without hesitation.
"Has she stopped trying to kill you yet?" Timothy raised an eyebrow. That would represent progress.
"Mostly she pretends I don’t exist."
With that, I left my beta and gamma behind.
Only after I’d gone did Flynn speak with contempt. "He needs to stop this ga with her. I’ve known she was trouble for him from day one."
"Can you drop it already?" Timothy’s eyes narrowed. "You’re still harping on this? No matter how much you despise her, she’s still Perry’s mate. Show so respect."
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