Chapter 279 Chapter 279
This was a terrible dream she needed to wake up from… No, no, no!
“Dorian!” she screamed, stumbling out of the bed with a strength she didn’t know she possessed. Forgotten was her disheveled state, the blood clinging to her dress and legs. She raced out of the room, caught up to Dorian, and with all the strength she had, shoved him to the ground.
He wasn’t expecting it at all, so he stumbled and landed with a thud.
She immediately climbed on top of him, hitting wherever she could, tears pouring from her eyes. “How dare you! How dare you! You killed my baby!” she yelled, balling her hands into fists and striking him.
Hard.
“My baby! I hate you! I hate you!” she screeched, growing out claws and scratching up his face.
Tears fell down her face, hot and fast.
“Get off me!” Dorian barked.
He managed to grab her hands and pull her away as she struggled to reach him. Eventually, soldiers had to restrain her.
“Get off me! I’m going to kill him! I’m going to kill this monster! How dare you do this to me! After all I’ve done for you! That was an innocent child—an innocent—” Ysolde’s voice broke, and she began sobbing openly.
Dorian rose to his feet, arranging his rumpled clothing with shaky hands. “How dare you lay your hands on me?! I could have you beheaded right now!”
“Cursed be the day I met you. You’ve made my life a living hell. I hate you. I hate you so much!”
“I warned you before. A son, or we’re done. What use do I have for a daughter when my claim to the throne is hanging by a thread with Xenon still alive?!”
Her head snapped up. “Xenon is alive?” Her laugh was broken, hysterical. “I hope he kills you. You don’t deserve to live!! "
She lunged again, screaming, fighting the soldiers with renewed fury.
Dorian scrambled backward, stunned by the sheer devastation written on her face.
She’s gone crazy, he thought. He turned to the men restraining her. “Lock her up in the dungeons. She’s gone insane.”
Even as they dragged her away, Ysolde continued to scream, her voice echoing down the halls. “I hate you! Curse you! Curse you!”
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More weeks passed in the weretigers’ hideout. Xenon busied himself by training the newer warriors even as he worried about Morvan’s well-being. The latter was taking longer than usual.
“Maintain your poise!” he yelled, his voice bouncing off the granite walls. “You have to be alert at all times so you’re never taken by surprise.”
He stated, watching his men as they took an offensive stance.
Rayena’s scent hit him first before she entered his line of vision. His beasts purred, longing to be near her.
For some inexplicable reason, they had grown even more obsessed with their woman—maybe because she’d proven she could take both beasts despite her seemingly frail form.
He looked back and saw her ambling toward him with a handkerchief she’d spent the better part of last week embroidering. Once she was close enough, she cleaned the sweat from his forehead, smiling warmly at him.
“Hello, love…” he groaned softly, tilting his head to the side.
“Hi there yourself,” she muttered with a faint blush. “I see you’re hard at work. Apologies for interrupting.”
“It’s no problem. I don’t mind you interrupting.”
“I wanted to make enquiries. Haven’t you heard from Morvan yet?”
“No, I haven’t. I am concerned. He usually doesn’t take this long whenever I send him out of the realm. This is unlike him,” Xenon murmured, his brows furrowed in thought.
“I guessed as much too,” Rayena mumbled, her lips folding into a pout. A smile tugged at Xenon’s lips.
His hand reached for her under her chin, and he tilted her face to look at him.
“Fret not. If I still don’t hear from him soon, I’ll personally go look for him. But I trust him, so I know he’ll be alright.”
“Okay. That’s all I wanted to know. Have fun with training,” she said, standing on her tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek before sashaying out of the enclosed room.
Xenon watched her go, his gaze lingering on her rounded backside before turning his attention back to the men in front of him.
“I see you held your position. Now change!” he ordered, his voice switching back to business. The men instantly shifted their stances.
That evening, while Xenon was busy in his office going through reports, a soldier came to meet him. “Your Majesty, General Morvan is back.”
“About time,” Xenon muttered, rising to his feet. He instantly followed the soldier out of the fortress and met Morvan arriving with far more than food supplies—there were a couple hundred human soldiers with him as well.
A gasp of surprise spilled from his lips. This was more than he expected.
Morvan delivered a low bow upon seeing Xenon. “Your Majesty, Rayena’s father wouldn’t let me leave until I took them with me. Am I late?”
Xenon grinned. “No. You’re right on time.”
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Preparations for the upcoming battle started in earnest.
With the welcome addition of the human army Morvan had brought with him, Xenon was now more confident than ever that they would win the war. Their presence also helped lessen whatever misgivings weretigers still had against the humans, and they slowly but surely started to see them more as allies than enemies.
The provisions he came with as well were properly rationed, and by his calculations, they would last them a couple more months while he tried to put things in order.
All around them, the fortress buzzed with activity. Some offered food, others weapons, others prayers whispered beneath their breath. Hope and fear walked hand in hand.
It was time to leave.
Xenon stood in his chamber, clad in his battle robes—heavy fabric layered with reinforced leather that pressed firmly against his shoulders and chest, while Rayena stood by his side, assisting him. She’d offered to help, and Xenon didn’t have it within himself to refuse, so he let her.
She smoothed the rumples on his shoulders, her brow knitted in concentration while her hands trembled. A smile tugged at Xenon’s lips, but he didn’t let it spread. Though Rayena might be looking calm, he knew she was anything but.
“All done…” she whispered when she was finished straightening his clothes, stepping back to assess him from top to bottom.
“Thank you,” Xenon muttered, his voice low and grave.