Chapter 223 Chapter 222
Xenon slowly gained awareness of his surroundings after giving in to the impulse of his tiger to mark her, the sweet elixir of her blood lingering in his mouth.
He found Rayena limp on the bed, the mark he had created still bleeding. Filled with guilt, he leaned closer, running his tongue over the wound and closing the opening. The bleeding stopped, but the mark remained. He'd lost control there, almost entering into a full shift while in her.
His need had been too great; there was no way he could have stopped it. After confirming that she was still breathing, he placed a soft kiss on her temple, letting his lips linger there.
I love you, Rayena. And I'm sorry.
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Dorian had received the note Ysolde sent to him hours ago, but he was still shocked by the contents.
I don’t know what you’re doing, but you have to get rid of Rayena. She’s pregnant for the king. He read the words over again, trying to digest them.
Pregnant? So soon?! That was truly shocking. If she ever delivered that child, all of their plans were doomed. It also didn’t help that the last group of assassins he’d sent were all dead before they could do their job. These attempts were costing more than he’d bargained for.
He instantly called for a meeting, and soon enough, his allies gathered in their secret underground room where they held their meetings.
“We’re going to be having a change of plans,” he announced, his voice booming through the small space. “We need to incite a civil war. Now.”
Murmurs rippled through the gathering. “I thought we wanted to wait, get rid of the human first?”
“We’ll do that as well, but now it’s simultaneous. We already have fertile grounds to execute the king. He’s refused to listen to the court, going ahead to mate with a woman no one approved him to be with. He’ll be labeled a tyrant—and tyrants are executed.”
“So, spread the rumors of the king’s lawlessness. A few tidbits added here and there, and the people will be crying for a revolution. While that’s happening, double the assassins we’ve been sending to the palace. This time, we ensure they get to her and end her.”
A murmur of agreement filled the space. Dorian swept his gaze across the room.
“All in favor, say aye!” Dorian cried.
“Aye!” they chorused back.
“Let the chaos begin!”
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In the king’s chambers, Xenon watched Rayena as she slept, the sheets already draped over her body. It was a moonless night tonight, and though the entire room was cloaked in darkness, he could see clearly.
His head was clearer now, with both beasts satisfied, and now he could think. A fight breaking out in the realm was inevitable since that’s what the vipers in his court had been wanting for decades. This time around, he was ready for it. He just needed to get Rayena to safety first.
His nose twitched as he caught the scent of something strange. His head snapped up, ears already picking up sounds.
His jaw clenched, his vision turning red. Assassins had infiltrated the castle yet again.
Both animals within him snarled, itching for a fight. Xenon rose to his feet, striding toward the bed. Lowering himself, he pressed a kiss to her forehead, letting his gaze linger on her peaceful sleeping form before striding out of the chambers, steps filled with purpose.
Following the scent, he arrived at a bloodied field just meters away from his wing. The assassins and his soldiers were engaged in a deadly fight, and he could see Morvan leading his men, his commands reverberating through the air. Some had taken their full shifts, locked into a bitter duel with his men.
The assassins seemed to have doubled in number as well.
They went all out this time around.
Xenon gave a deafening roar, morphing into a half-shift of his tiger form and joining the fight, picking up the wolves that lunged toward him and ripping them in two. Blood splattered on the ground, the sickening crunch of bones filling his ears.
It was a deadly fight, but it was immensely short-lived.
Especially when he and Morvan picked up two wolves at the same time and wrenched them apart, having their blood sprayed over them. The king was a deadly warrior, moving with lethal grace; his steps were hard to follow and even harder to predict. Decades of brutal training had turned him into the monster he now was.
In a matter of moments, the large number of assassins that had been trying to infiltrate the castle dwindled to only one who was scurrying to escape, a leg already broken, deep gashes on his shoulders.
Xenon watched him as he hopped on his still-good foot. "Do you think we should question him?" Xenon asked Morvan, not sparing the latter a glance.
"We should," Morvan responded, breathing heavily.
Xenon shrugged. In an instant, he was before the assassin, and diving for the throat, picked the terrified male up. "Who sent you?" he asked in a deceptively calm voice.
The latter's eyes widened, struggling to escape the King's hold. Xenon tightened his grip, cutting off the man's breath. "I'll... never... tell!" he choked out, his face already swelling.
"Okay, what did they tell you to do?"
More choking and gurgling sounds, eyes rolling back in his head. Xenon released the grip, if only slightly. "Is it to kill me?"
He coughed, kicking his legs violently.
"Not really..." Xenon answered for him. "Is it for Rayena, my mate?" The faint twitching of his eyes confirmed his suspicions.
Xenon sighed and the assassin flinched.
"Well, here's news for you. That's never happening. Do you want to know why?"
He didn't wait for a response. "Because I won't let you. It's also why you puny little bastards will be unable to kill me either. Because I'm not just an ordinary weretiger too."
"If... if you aren't that, what are you?" the assassin choked out, stilling his struggles.
Xenon gave a sinister smile, eyes narrowed to slits. He threw the miscreant to the ground. Keeping his gaze fixed on him, he shifted to his wolf form. The assassin's eyes widened in shock at the King's wolf form. He couldn't believe it — the king was a hybrid!?
"You're... you're a hybrid!" he screamed, pointing at him in disbelief.
Xenon reverted back, stretching to his full height. "Yes, I am," he answered in a guttural voice. "Surprised?"
"That's... that's impossible! It's never happened before."