Chapter 253 Chapter 252
Morvan rushed out seconds later, breathing heavy. "Our suspicions were correct. The king is slipping into another rut. Have you tried offering him food?" he asked the men around him.
"Yes, we did. But he didn't touch it and almost tried attacking us. We had to leave before he broke out of his chains," one responded.
"In that case, we need to start making preparations. What about the woman we picked out for him?" Morvan asked, and at the mention of another woman, Rayena tensed.
"She's already with the courtesans, having a bath."
"When she's ready, send her to me."
Just then, Morvan looked around and caught her peeping. Rayena fled back, heart pounding, but her legs refused to move from where she stood.
She heard footsteps approaching, and a pair of feet entered her line of vision.
She took her gaze up and found Morvan frowning hard at her. Rayena shrunk against the wall. "I thought I said not to follow."
"Well… I… I'm not that close." She protested.
"The king has incredible sense of smell. What makes you think he can't smell you right now?"
"I used my scent suppressants…" she tried to argue, when another powerful roar rang out, frightening everyone present. Morvan's eyes widened ever so slightly, only to narrow at her. Rayena averted her gaze, biting her lip.
"He's sniffed you out," he groaned, jaw clenched.
The roars and noises of struggle only grew louder.
Morvan glanced at the door, a shadow crossing his eyes. "You really have to go now," he warned, walking back to the room.
Rayena watched him go, and instead of leaving, her legs only led her to follow after him.
All the men present had followed after Morvan, trying to restrain the king, and had kept the door ajar. Rayena's heart pounded, numerous thoughts racing inside her. She really shouldn't be here; she should get out right now to avoid attracting trouble to herself...
She took several steps forward, peeking through the opening to catch a glimpse of the king.
The king's wild gaze immediately caught hers, and a scream died in her throat, horror flooding her veins.
His eyes gleamed with wildness, and his struggles grew more frantic, determined to break out of his confines.
Terror seized Rayena, the walls spinning around her, and she started stumbling backward when he gave another powerful roar, fighting through the men that held him down and charging toward her.
Morvan saw what he was growling at and yelled, "Rayena, run! We can't contain him any longer!" before shifting into a half-shift to push him back.
Turning on shaky legs, Rayena started to run away when he gave a terrifying roar, slashing wickedly at his attackers, effectively injuring them. They all scurried away, screaming as they held their injured bodies.
Several hard tugs at the chains that bound him, and they broke free like twigs. The wolf leapt into the air, flinging open the door and landing directly on her.
Rayena screamed as the wolf tackled her to the ground, rendering her immobile with his body. He raised a clawed paw to swipe at her, breaking skin and drawing blood.
Rayena screamed at the pain that cut through her, vision turning white for a split second. He was instantly wrestled off her, and Rayena scrambled to a safe distance, blood still dripping from the wound he'd created.
The wolf gave a terrifying snarl, biting at the tigers that now held him, but with all of their weight and strength, he could hardly push them off.
He managed to wriggle one off, but instead of coming straight at her, brought his nose to the blood—her blood—splattered on the ground. Taking a long sniff, he brought out his tongue and licked it clean from the ground. Rayena froze, bewildered.
What?!
Foam began collecting at the corners of his mouth, drool dribbling down. For a brief moment, Rayena thought she saw something flicker in his eyes.
In an instant, his eyes flashed green and he froze. Then he reached down to lick more of her blood, hungry growls spilling from his lips. When Morvan saw he wasn’t struggling anymore, he quickly hauled him back to the room with the help of the guards. They changed his chains and tightened the locks, keeping him bound once more.
For extra measures, Morvan shot him a poisoned dart to keep him in a weakened state before stepping out of the room.
"What just happened?" Rayena murmured in a daze, glancing at the men present. "Did... did Xenon just attack me to lick my blood?" Rayena asked in a daze, clutching her wounded arm.
"It seems to be that way," Morvan answered, his breathing ragged.
Only then did he let his fury seep to the surface. "Look at what you've brought upon yourself. Heavens, I've never met a more stubborn woman before in my life. Things could have gone so much worse! The king could have killed you!" Morvan thundered.
Rayena flinched, remembering the wound in her hands. "It hurts..." she groaned quietly, tears stinging her eyes.
"Stand up. Let’s go get that treated. Maybe this will teach you," he groaned. He went up to her, helping her to her feet. Ripping a piece of fabric from his clothes, he wrapped it around the wound to stop it from bleeding more.
Morvan led her out, and she immediately went to Soraya, who was shocked on seeing her so badly injured. "What happened?" she cried out, reaching for Rayena’s side.
"The king broke out of his confines and tried to harm her when she refused to stay away," he announced, and Rayena reddened.
"Raye, that's dangerous! You could have gotten seriously hurt!"
"I know it was stupid, can you two stop repeating it," Rayena mumbled, already sulking.
"Go on and sit down. Let me get the things you'll use to treat it. You can't risk it getting infected," she said, and walked out. Morvan fell into step with her. "Thank you for bringing her to me. I don't understand why she can be so reckless despite knowing all the risks."
Soraya mumbled, her voice filled with worry and disgruntlement. Morvan glanced at her, then slowly turned his gaze away.
"As much as I'd like to agree, I'm afraid I understand where she's coming from. I don't think it'll ever be easy to see one's mate trapped in their beast's form without any guarantee that they'll ever slip out of it," he muttered, and some of the anger faded from her eyes.
"I know that, but it doesn't mean she should constantly put herself in harm's way. At this rate, she'll make everyone have grey hairs!"
Morvan gave a slight chuckle at her response, and Soraya held her breath, feeling flutters in her stomach. "Well, you're in charge of her now. I have to go."
Delivering a small bow, he turned around and left, leaving Soraya to watch his retreating figure till he disappeared out of sight. Suddenly remembering what she was supposed to do, she quickly went on to bring the supplies and went back to the room, where she met Rayena sitting down, looking sullen.