Phoebe’s POV
I jolted awake, a sharp gasp escaping my lips. My head pounded as I tried to make sense of my surroundings. The haze in my mind slowly cleared, and fragnts of last night crashed back into my consciousness.
Allen had slipped wolfbane—that potent alcohol designed to intoxicate shifters. He’d given it to as a shot, sending it straight into my bloodstream. The effect hit like a freight train, but there had been sothing else... a euphoria I’d never experienced before.
For those fleeting monts, I’d felt weightless, free from every burden that crushed my spirit. It was the first ti I’d felt truly happy since Perry had marked as his mate.
But even that joy paled in comparison to what I’d felt last night. It had been intoxicating.
I tried to move, but sothing heavy pinned down. Dread pooled in my stomach as I looked down to find one of the warriors sprawled naked across my body. Not Allen.
Then the mories hit like a sledgehamr. Face after face, cruel laughter echoing in my ears. They’d passed around like so twisted ga, each one taking what they wanted, reducing to nothing.
The sha burned through like acid. I could barely breathe as I rembered the most horrifying part—how my body had betrayed , responding to their touch in ways that made sick.
"No, no. That can’t be right..." I pressed my palms against my ears, trying to block out the mories. My breathing ca in ragged gasps as I took in the scene around .
They were all still asleep—the warriors, Allen, even the two other won. We’d all been nothing more than entertainnt for them, passed around like objects for their pleasure. There was no difference between and those prostitutes.
Bile rose in my throat. I shoved the warrior off and scrambled for my clothes, but my dress lay in tatters. I grabbed whatever fabric I could find to cover myself and fled the room.
I rushed to my bedroom, only to find Perry on his way out.
"Phoebe?" His arms wrapped around as I collapsed against him, sobs wracking my body. He quickly pulled inside, away from prying eyes.
"There were more, Perry. Not just Allen... the prostitutes, the warriors... so many of them... the wolfbane." The words tumbled out incoherently. How could I make sense when sha consud every part of ?
"Calm down, Phoebe. Just breathe."
"I DON’T WANT TO CALM DOWN!" The roar tore from my throat, and his hand cracked across my cheek.
I couldn’t figure out what had Perry so twisted up inside, but he’d been brooding for days now. His mood had grown darker, more intense, and it was driving crazy.
That’s why I’d been hounding Timothy relentlessly, trying to get answers about what went down in those etings.
I shoved another note in front of his face—the sa question I’d been asking for days.
"Phoebe," Timothy groaned, looking exhausted. "I have no clue. Hell, I should be asking you why Perry is acting like soone pissed in his coffee. He should be on cloud nine after the union, right?" He slowed his pace so I didn’t have to jog to keep up.
I finally lowered the crumpled note I’d been waving around like a flag. This whole situation had spinning in circles, and I was no closer to answers.
I mouthed my next question, the words I was too afraid to voice aloud.
*Is it because of ? Does he regret it?*
"Don’t be ridiculous." Timothy flicked my forehead, making wince. "That’s not even possible."
I fell silent, doubt still gnawing at .
"Look, I’ll ask him, okay? But don’t get your hopes up—you know Perry. Getting him to explain anything is like pulling teeth. He’ll probably just ignore ."
I mouthed a quick thank you.
"Save it. I said I’d ask, not that he’d actually answer." He shrugged, then ruffled my hair before taking off. "Gotta run!"
——
Later that morning, after the senior eting wrapped up, Timothy cornered Perry about his foul mood. Just as he’d predicted, the king stonewalled him completely.
"Nothing’s wrong."
Perry picked up his pace, forcing Timothy to jog alongside him. This whole routine felt painfully familiar.
"You’re making her worry sick. She’s been terrorizing for answers about whatever’s eating at you. She’s stressed out of her mind. How can you do that to her?"
Perry stopped dead in his tracks. Timothy nearly crashed into him, his reflexes barely saving him from a collision.
"What now?" Timothy muttered, watching Perry sink into another one of his brooding sessions. Then, without warning, the king stalked off again. "I’m losing my damn mind!"
——
**Perry’s POV**
That night, I returned from the war council later than usual. The eting with the senior warriors had dragged on, and I’d told Phoebe not to wait up for .
When I entered our bedroom, she was already asleep—or so I thought.
I approached the bed carefully, reaching out to touch her face. The mont my fingers made contact with her skin, her eyes fluttered open.
Those sleepy, vulnerable eyes made my chest tighten. She pressed my hand against her cheek, seeking comfort.
"Sleep, Phoebe. We’ll talk tomorrow." Tomorrow, I’d finally tell her the truth about what was tearing apart inside. If I kept bottling this up, I’d destroy us faster than any fertility issues ever could.
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