Chapter 252 Chapter 251
More days passed and it became a regular occurrence for Rayena to be present while Xenon was being fed. Though she had to be far away, while he acted mindlessly and relentlessly charged at her to attack her, nothing had happened yet. Morvan was extremely careful with her, ensuring she stayed out of harms way, and having more soldiers present to protect them should the king go berserk.
The sight hurt as much as it healed, but she would never admit that to anyone.
At night, when she could, she spend the night seated in front of the door, talking to him. She also picked up reading, gathering all the information she could about ferals and if they are any instances when one returned from such mindlessnes. There were no records of such, but it didn't stop her from looking.
Things were much different for Soraya however. After her night with Morvan, it was safe to say, something had developed between them, however little that might be.
Despite his busy schedule and numerous commitments, he'd always go out of his way to look to check up on her and confirm if she was alright. Soraya never failed to notice those little acts of tenderness, and she always tried to reciprocate as best as she could, while trying not to draw attention to herself.
Already, she'd been noticing the young, single female weretigers had begun eyeing her differently and it made her uncomfortable.
Also, despite the positive development between them concerning relationship, Soraya feared it might be temporary, as they had no choice but to be together, hence the opportunity to see each other everyday.
Such was her worry, that she ended up admitting it to Rayena one evening, concerned that her feelings for him would continue to be one-sided.
"Oh... Don't think like that." Rayena had said, looking at her with gentle concern. "You do not know what the future holds for the two of you so why are you jumping into conclusions?"
"I wish I was just jumping into conclusions, but it's the reality. It doesn't matter how much I like him or have this feelings towards him, He's a Weretiger and I'm a Werewolf. Unions between us are banned. An abomination even."
Soraya worried her lower lip, eyes already stinging with tears. "All I want more than anything, is to be with him. But I don't think our world is ready for that yet."
"Have a little faith. You don't know, things might change. Look at me, as much as everyone keeps telling me that Xenon may never return from his feral state, have you seen me give up?" Rayena asked and Soraya shook her head, sniffing.
"Where there's life, there's hope." Rayena gave a small smile, squeezing her friend's hand in reassurance. "Your problems are minuscule compared to mine. Things can change and such union will no longer be frowned against in the future. You need to keep on believing"
"You're right... " Soraya conceded, taking a deep breath. "I can't lose hope now. We've gone through so much to give up now"
Rayena let out a sigh. "Indeed we have."
"Thank you, Rayena. You don't know how much you've helped me now."
"I'll always be here for you as you have been here for me. We're practically sisters now." Rayena said and they both chuckled, hope etched on their faces.
There was also the issue of the werewolves still searching for them. Morvan had gathered them together one evening and told them about it, so everyone needed to be more careful so as not to be detected, and their hideout exposed.
"We will continue to guard this place where we all stay, but please ensure you're listening to all orders not to venture out without supervision," he said, his voice reverberating through the room. "I hope we all have understood."
"Yes, commander!" they all chorused.
"Very well, you're dismissed," he said, and everyone dispersed to their various rooms. Rayena cut through the crowd, going to meet the king.
"Um, excuse me. Can I speak with you for a moment?" she asked as Morvan started to walk away. He stopped, and she instantly fell into step with him. He led her to a less crowded area, free from listening ears.
"I apologize if this is a bit forward, but I wanted to know… don't you have plans of attacking and claiming back the realm?" Rayena asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Morvan's lips thinned, but he made to answer. "The truth is we do, but not in this state. The famine you witnessed when you first arrived here is unfortunately affecting the entire realm, and we have no idea when it would end. The only reason why we're faring better than the rest is because of the provisions King Xenon made before he turned feral, and even that is running out."
"Oh…" Rayena trailed off, her eyes widening.
"Asides that, our clan is still grossly outnumbered by the werewolves, and we don't have a true leader. I may be skilled in battle and the tactics of war, but beyond that I'm barely hanging on by a thread."
"We are happy we can go undetected till the famine at least passes," Morvan continued, his voice dropping even lower. "But if we are found out before then, we would drop all else and fight. I will not stand by and watch us be subjugated like we once were in the past." He finished, eyes gleaming with determination.
Rayena didn't say anything else, awed by his spirit. "So we sit and wait?" she asked after a while.
"For the moment, yes."
"Where are you headed now?" Rayena asked as Morvan resumed walking.
"To see the king. I've gotten reports that he's been extra restless lately. I want to see why."
Rayena's heart skipped a beat. "Can I come along?"
"Unfortunately, not for this," he said, glancing at her. "The signs he's exhibiting are the ones that prove his rut may be coming soon. I wouldn't want him to be fixated on your scent should he catch a whiff."
On hearing that, her steps faltered, and she watched Morvan go as the distance between them widened—only to discreetly follow behind him, heart in her throat.
She trailed behind him, watching as he went to the hidden compartment where Xenon was held up, and found three more men standing guard right at the door. From where she stood, she could hear the growls and snarls coming from the room, and her chest tightened.
That had never happened in the previous times they had gone to feed him, so Morvan's suspicions had to be correct. Peeking, she saw him morph into a half shift before stepping into the room. Almost immediately, thunderous roars and snarls filled the hallways, the walls trembling around them.