Chapter 243 Chapter 242
Her heartbeat tripped unevenly. She fisted her hands into her dress to stop them from trembling, listening intently to what Morvan had to say. “The king already knew there would be another civil war between the clans and had begun to make preparations to safeguard the weretigers when the crisis hit.”
He gestured around the room. “Hence the fortified caves beneath the mountain. It’s an underground fortress that houses thousands of weretigers. Provisions were made, and when the fight began, it was easy to transport as many weretigers as the fortress could contain.”
“Wow…” Soraya murmured in awe.
“We’ve been hiding this way since. The werewolves are always in search, but we were careful. Everyone here uses scent suppressants, and no one is allowed out till the coast is clear. It’s how we managed to stay out of sight and protect ourselves.”
“If you did all of that, how did you discover us?” Rayena asked, brows furrowed.
“We planted spies in the palace. You see, not all werewolves are loyal to the new king. So they report back to us on any development. The moment you both stepped foot into the shifters’ realm, we were immediately informed. For a while, I debated if I should come rescue you and eventually chose to.”
“Well, you came at the nick of time,” Soraya muttered. “That imposter already had plans to do despicable things to us.” She grumbled, her voice filled with disgust.
“I’m glad I wasn’t too late. It wasn’t an easy feat since the werewolves already believe most of us died during the war, and the rest are probably being killed by the famine.”
“What a splendid story,” Rayena said, already impatient. “But you still haven’t said anything about Xenon.”
“Unfortunately, after you left, the king did not take the separation well. I’m guessing he didn’t know how deep of a bond the two of you had already formed.”
The room her tilted. Sound blurred into a dull ringing, and Rayena had to grip her dress to feel anchored to her own body. Morvan continued speaking.
“Coupled with the members of the Royal Council accusing him of being a tyrant, the sentencing, and the people’s rejection of him, it was a bit too much to handle. He was poisoned, already set to be beheaded.”
Soraya gasped. Rayena's blood turned to ice. “Did… did the poison kill him?” she stuttered, already hyperventilating.
Morvan shook his head, his face tight. “Somehow he managed to evade that, but the outcome was much worse.”
An anguished expression crossed his face. “Are you sure you want to see him?” he asked, and Rayena instantly nodded her head, body already shaking.
Her voice cracked, raw and trembling. She didn’t care how desperate she sounded—she needed to see him. “Please take me to him. I need to see him. Please!”
Morvan conceded with a sigh. “Come with me.”
He led them out of the room, through so many corridors and stairs that took them lower and lower. They encountered less and less weretigers as they ventured into the despest, darkest of the underground tunnels, that even though torch Morvan had brought to illuminate their path started to flicker due to the very little oxygen in the air.
Rayena's heart pounded incessantly in her chest, and she swallowed tightly, every hair on her body standing on end. She froze when she heard a low growl, her eyes widening.
Oh gods.. Let it not be...
"We're almost there." Morvan announced quietly, he steps slowing down. Rayena forced strength into her legs and continued to follow him till he stopped at a reinforced steel gate. It looked like one of the doors she used to encounter in the underground rooms in the palace, only bigger and with more bolts and barricades.
Morvan handed Soraya the torch, and worked on opening the small peephole at the door. After that, he called on her to look through.
Rayena's legs wouldn't move. She stood there in terror, too afraid to see what was behind the door.
This is where they kept her Xenon. This dark and abandoned place. Tears filled her eyes fast.
"Please, step forward. We can't be here for long." Morvan urged her.
Clenching her teeth, Rayena took in a shuddering breath, placing one foot after another till she closed the distance and finally peeped through the hole.
She didn't see anything at first, the room too dark for hto make anything out. But her eyes adjusted and the outlines of things came into place. Inside here was an animal. A very huge animal. She couldn't tell which.
And then a pair of bright green eyes stared unfocused at her. Followed by a low groan of misery.
Rayena jolted away so fast, she almost stumbled to the ground.
Shaking her head furiously, she struck her chest countless times to stop the searing pain cutting through her, a sob already building at the back of her throat.
"It can't be... It just can't be!" She cried, staring at Morvan, frantic. "Xenon can't be in there! That's not him.. That's not.... " She started sobbing.
Morvan held her lest she collapsed to the ground.
"The king turned into a Feral one after you left. He's been stuck in that state since. Nothing we've done has worked and were scared to believe there his soul is lost forever."
Rayena tried to suppress her sobs, but I came out as an anguished whimper. When buried her face into Morvan's chest, crying loudly, unabashed.
"I can't believe this.. That's not true!..How can this be!?" She cried, voice filled with so much pain, it made Soraya tear up.
"I'm really sorry, Rayena. I can only imagine how hard this is for you. "
He couldn't. No one can. She lost their child, and now they are telling her that she's lost Xenon too? And not to death, but to madness. How many times is she going to mourn and grieve the loss of the people she loves?
That isn't possible. There has to be away.
She instantly pulled back, sniffing back tears. "There has to be a way to save him. To bring him back. Open the door, I'll go see him. Maybe he'll recognize me." Her eyes narrowed. "No, he has to."
"I'd advice against that, princess." Morvan quickly cut in, dissuading her. "The king is Feral. He can't recognize anyone in that state. Not even you, even if you're his mate. All he's relying on are his instincts. To eat, to hunt and to mate. If you go in them and he mistakes you to be prey, he will harm you."
"But we can't let him keep living like this!" Rayena shot back, suddenly furious. "You're telling me he's been stuck in this hellhole for seven years?!"
"Yes, that's what I'm saying. And unfortunately, despite our best interests to help, there's nothing anyone can do. Once a person becomes a Feral One, they can't revert back. It's never happened."