Phoebe’s POV
The tree hollow pressed against like a coffin.
My ribs ached from squeezing into the narrow gap, but the mont I felt sothing warm and furry brush against my arm, my heart nearly stopped.
A wolf pup. Barely a few weeks old, judging by its size.
I’d spent countless hours watching pups near our cabin during those long months when Perry was away fighting. This little one couldn’t have been born more than three weeks ago.
The tiny creature imdiately pressed against , seeking warmth I desperately needed too. Its small body trembled—whether from cold or fear, I couldn’t tell.
Outside my hiding spot, death stalked through the forest.
The three warriors who’d lured away from the pack house circled past my tree again and again. Their boots squelched in the mud just inches from my face.
They had no idea about the hollow carved deep into the ancient oak’s trunk.
"WHERE THE HELL IS SHE?!"
The first warrior’s voice cracked with panic. He shifted back to human form so violently that his bones made audible snapping sounds.
"I DON’T KNOW!" The second warrior’s snarl held genuine fear now. "This fucking rain—it’s washing away everything! I can’t track shit in this weather!"
The third warrior paced like a caged animal. "She’s just a human! She can’t have gone far!"
Thunder crashed overhead as they shifted back to wolf form, their massive paws churning mud as they resud their frantic search.
The storm was getting worse.
I had no idea how long I stayed cramped in that tree. Ti beca aningless. My legs went numb. The pup’s breathing synchronized with mine.
I kept drifting between consciousness and exhaustion until voices nearby jolted awake like a bucket of ice water.
"How the FUCK did you lose her?!"
The rain had stopped. Thick mud now sealed most of the tree’s opening, creating perfect camouflage. The pup still slept against , apparently content with the warmth I provided.
Through the narrow gap in the mud, I could barely make out shapes moving outside. But even with his back to , I recognized that voice instantly.
Elder Augustus.
My blood turned to ice.
Along with my three escorts, four other figures stood in the clearing. Strangers. Their scents were wrong—foreign.
"She said she needed to take a piss! What was I supposed to do—watch her squat in the bushes?!" The warrior’s voice held desperation.
The sound that followed wasn’t quite human.
A wet, tearing noise.
Then blood sprayed across Elder Augustus’s face like abstract art.
I clamped both hands over my mouth to stop the scream building in my throat.
The warrior’s chest had exploded outward. Ribs jutted through shredded flesh. His eyes went wide with shock before the light died completely.
His body hit the ground with a sound like dropped at.
Elder Augustus wiped blood from his cheek with casual annoyance. "Could you handle your business when I’m not standing right here? I don’t need this ss on ."
He examined his stained clothes with disgust. "I have to get rid of this blood sll before Perry catches wind of it."
The man who’d just committed murder—so kind of Valerium assassin, judging by his accent—smirked coldly.
"You should’ve killed the king imdiately when you had the chance. Instead of skulking around behind his back like a coward."
I pressed deeper into the tree hollow, my heart hamring so hard I was sure they’d hear it. The pup stirred against but didn’t wake.
Death wasn’t new to . But watching murder happen three feet away—watching soone’s life snuffed out like a candle—that kind of horror never got easier.
Elder Augustus paced dangerously close to my tree. His boots stopped just outside the hollow’s entrance.
If he looked down...
"The plan continues," he announced finally.
The Valerium assassin raised an eyebrow. "Continue without the woman? Exactly who are you planning to fool with this charade?"
He gestured dismissively at the corpse. "The whole sche was ridiculous from the start."
Elder Augustus’s smile was pure predator. "Why not? The king is completely obsessed with his precious mate." His voice turned mocking. "You think Perry won’t co running if we tell him we have her?"
Sothing landed in the mud near my hiding spot.
My shoe.
I hadn’t even realized I’d lost it during my escape.
This was bad. This was catastrophically bad.
The Valerium accent confird my worst fears. These weren’t just rogue pack mbers. This was an organized conspiracy between Elder Augustus and enemy survivors.
And Elder Augustus was absolutely right about one thing—Perry would co.
That ant I had to reach the pack house before they could spring their trap.
After what felt like hours, their voices finally faded. I waited until I couldn’t hear footsteps before carefully pushing aside the mud that sealed my hiding place.
The pup woke up and looked at with curious yellow eyes.
I couldn’t leave it here alone. Whatever had happened to its pack, this little one was an orphan now.
Just like .
I scooped up the warm bundle of fur and tucked it inside my jacket. "Co on, little guy. We’re getting out of here."
——
Perry’s POV
"He demands to et with you alone, my king."
Elder Augustus placed Phoebe’s muddy shoe on the table like evidence at a murder trial. The leather was torn. Stained with forest debris.
"He says he’ll kill the queen the mont he spots anyone else with you."
Every muscle in my body went rigid. The shoe was definitely hers—I’d bought those boots myself just last month. She’d complained they were too expensive, but I’d insisted on the finest leather.
Now that sa leather was covered in mud and torn at the seams.
Soone had taken my mate. Soone was threatening to kill her.
The beast inside stirred for the first ti in months.
"Where?" My voice ca out barely human.
Wallace stepped forward, trying to project calm authority. "My king, please don’t act rashly. This is obviously a trap—"
One look from silenced him completely. The young alpha actually took a step backward, his wolf recognizing the predator now awakening in the room.
Elder Augustus provided the location with helpful precision. "In the forest. By the waterfall near the northern border." He paused, then added sothing that made my blood boil. "However, my king... is she truly worth this risk?"
The question hung in the air like poison.
My fist crashed through the solid oak table, splitting it completely in half. The sound echoed through the room like a gunshot.
Wood splinters scattered across the floor. Several embedded themselves in the far wall.
I didn’t dignify Elder Augustus’s question with words.
Instead, I let my eyes promise exactly what would happen to anyone who stood between and my mate.
"GET OUT!"
The command exploded from with enough force to rattle the windows.
But as they scrambled for the door, one thought burned through my mind like acid:
Whoever had taken Phoebe was about to discover why I’d once been called the Mad King.
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