Chapter 173 Chapter 172
Rayena ran all the way to the harem, too afraid to look back and confirm if the wolf she had seen was chasing after her. Stumbling over her own steps, she pulled up her gown and ran, her gaze fixed forward until the harem began to appear on the horizon.
Her lungs were already burning from exertion, but she would no sooner kill herself than allow herself to stop. Besides, she was close already.
She spurred herself farther on, ignoring the confused stares of the women who had stopped and were watching her. They formed small circles, murmuring amongst themselves, but only one person ran forward to meet her. She blinked away the daze in her eyes, seeing it was Soraya.
"Rayena! What happened?! Why are you running?" she asked, as Rayena barreled into her, her body shaking. Soraya staggered on her footing, but she wrapped her hands around Rayena, steadying both of them.
More tears sprung into her eyes, adrenaline still pulsing through her veins, making her shake. She dragged air into her lungs.
"Did something bad happen? Why were you running?" Soraya asked, pulling back to stare at Rayena’s fear-stricken face. Rayena made to speak but caught the crowd of people that had formed behind her. She shook her head.
"To my room," she forced out through ragged breaths. Pulling away from Soraya, they walked back into the harem building, ignoring the rest as they made their way to her room.
Rayena entered first, Soraya shutting the door behind her.
Rayena continued to pace around, trying to make sense of what she had just seen. Soraya slowly approached her, brows furrowed in concern. "What happened in the palace?" she questioned, her tone soft. Rayena stared at her, willing her heart rate to calm. Walking toward her, she lowered her voice so only Soraya could hear.
"Didn’t you say the king is from the Weretiger Clan?" she whispered.
"He is from the Weretiger Clan. Why do you ask?"
Rayena contemplated if she should tell her what she saw but eventually changed her mind. "Nothing. There’s nothing wrong at all."
"Your expression is screaming everything but ‘nothing.’ What really happened..." Soraya didn’t get to finish as a knock came on the door, interrupting them.
"Who is it?" Rayena snapped, irritated.
"It’s me, Lady Ysolde," the person answered, and Rayena rolled her eyes, resisting the urge to scoff. Such perfect timing.
Without waiting for a response, the door opened, and she stepped in, looking all regal and poised, with the barest hint of concern in her eyes. "I saw the way you ran into the harem. Pray tell, did something happen in the palace?"
"Nothing happened," Rayena gritted through clenched teeth, glaring at Ysolde. "The king dismissed me, and I was making my way back to the harem."
Ysolde’s lips thinned, eyes gleaming with distrust. "That didn’t look like you were being dismissed. You were running like you were chased."
"Of course I was running like I was chased!" Rayena finally snapped, and Ysolde flinched, taken aback. "A fight broke out in the palace, and he ordered me to leave before things got ugly. Would you have liked me to walk in the face of danger?!"
Ysolde opened her mouth, but no words slipped past them.
Soraya seemed horrified. "That’s what happened?!"
"Yes..." Rayena responded, even if it was a lie.
"I’m so sorry. That would have been terrifying," she said with pity.
"Thank you," Rayena responded with a mumble, and Ysolde flushed crimson.
"I apologize for my impertinence. That would have been a frightful experience," Ysolde muttered, though her sincerity didn’t reach her voice or eyes. Rayena suddenly didn’t want to deal with anyone anymore.
"I’d like to be alone now," she mumbled, slumping down on one of the couches, her breathing still ragged. Ysolde was the first to leave, followed by Soraya.
"Take care of yourself, alright? I’m glad you weren’t hurt," she muttered with a twitch of her lips. Rayena nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She heard the door close after Soraya and let out a breath, gazing up at the ceiling.
The king who everyone knew to be a weretiger had transformed into a wolf right in front of her. A shudder ran through her as she recounted the incident.
What the hell was going on?
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.
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The king had already been transported to his underground too, yet again, where his anguished roars and howls would be heard by no one. Morvan limped out of the chamber, ignoring the gashes that still bled freely down his arms. He had sustained too many injuries from the struggle to contain the king before the others arrived to help. Now, with the beast subdued, only silence and the faint rattle of chains remained. Locking the reinforced steel doors, he slumped against them, letting his battered body slide down to the cold floor.
Exhaustion, worry, and anger gnawed at him. He shut his mind to the pained howls echoing through the walls, the sound clawing at his sanity, his empty eyes gazing at something unseen before him.
Ladrian soon arrived, and he grew shocked at Morvan's state.
“Did the king do that?” he whispered, stepping closer, his eyes tracing the claw marks slashed across Morvan’s chest and sides. Morvan flinched when he reached for him.
“Forget about me. Is there a way to help the king?” Morvan rasped, forcing himself upright.
"You're still bleeding. We need to have you treated!"
"I'll be fine," Morvan growled, his eyes flashing as his beast inched to the surface. "Our concern should be the king. He's had another rut that triggered a shift. What do we do?" he snapped.
Ladrian recoiled then, peeping through the opening at the steel doors to check the king. He saw the king's wolf form, snarling and snapping around, his body thrashing as the spiked chains dug into his fur, cutting through skin and drawing blood that splattered to the ground. His gaze dipped lower, and he winced at the wolf's engorged arousal, purple and heavy, testicles full with his seed. It had to be painful for him.
"What happened? Didn't the suppressants work anymore?" Ladrian asked, closing back the opening.
"I... I don't think it was the suppressants this time around," Morvan said, his voice heavy with so many emotions. "He was with Rayena when I arrived at the study."
"Who is that...? Oh, the human princess that triggered his rut the first time?"