Chapter 254 Chapter 253
Rayena winced, trying to pull away, but Soraya pulled her closer, pressing the soaked cotton bud on her wound.
"Hey... that hurts!"
"Good. Maybe it'll teach you a lesson," she scolded Rayena. The latter frowned, looking away from her. "What were you thinking? Do you know you could have gotten yourself seriously hurt?! The king is feral; he can't recognize you!"
"You think I don't know that?" Rayena muttered, her voice shaking. "Of course I know he doesn't recognize me. I've seen it so many times. But he was going into a rut this time, Soraya. I thought things would be different."
Her brows furrowed in thought, and she absentmindedly reached to itch her injured arm. "And the way he reacted... something was strange about it. It's almost like he didn't set out to harm me. I can't help but think there's another reason."
"Another reason? Rayena, you would have turned into his meal if Morvan had hesitated to save you!"
"But that's the thing! He didn't!" Rayena cried back, vehement. "He had plenty of time to, but all he did was lick my blood. And afterwards, he stopped struggling. I don't know how, don't know why. But after that, his struggles ceased."
"Oh Raye... help me understand you," Soraya muttered, reaching to hold Rayena's hands, forcing the latter to look at her. "While I admire your determination to do everything it takes to bring His Majesty back from the madness that plagues him, you cannot keep acting reckless. All of this will come to naught if he should mistake you for prey and end up really harming you."
"What do you want me to do? Stay back and do nothing while my mate suffers every day that he lives?"
"I'm asking you to be careful," Soraya said softly, gazing into Rayena's eyes. "You're not just putting your life at stake here, but the lives of every weretiger that hides in this underground fortress."
Rayena held her tongue, Soraya's words striking a chord in her. She looked away, biting her lip as she fought the tears that gathered in her eyes.
Seeing her words had sunk in, Soraya continued to treat and dress her wounds, a heavy silence settling between them.
.
.
.
A while later, after all her wounds had been treated by Soraya, Rayena went in search of Morvan again. This time she wanted to know if Xenon had calmed down, but when she arrived at his room, what she met was the opposite.
He'd resumed snarling and howling, his cries filled with distress, and from a distance, Rayena could see the female they had prepared to help with his rut.
Rayena hid herself away but kept a close eye on what was going on. The woman was visibly scared, and even Morvan seemed concerned about his decision to let her go in there.
Rayena's hands began to itch relentlessly, and she stopped to scratch them until the skin was irritated.
Aside from that, she was growing incredibly hot.
Xenon's growls and roars grew even louder, and they'd begun to claw at her chest. He was clearly battling his rut, and they were still contemplating a way to help him.
She watched as Morvan turned to the trembling female. "You have to go in now. We can't keep delaying this any longer."
"B-but..." the lady stammered, glancing back and forth between the door and Morvan. "He doesn't seem calm at all. I do not want to lose my life to this."
"You won't. We've put plenty of preventive measures in place, and we'll also stand guard out here should anything go wrong. It may hurt, but this is something you have prepared for by now," she heard him say. Her chest tightened inexplicably.
"O-okay then. Take me in," she muttered in a tiny voice. Rayena gritted her teeth hard, shocked at the wave of jealousy that crashed over her.
That confused her greatly. Why would she be jealous of the fact that another woman was helping sate her feral mate's rut? Weren't they doing that to protect her?
The door opened, and Rayena watched as the lady was ushered into the room. The had barely closed it behind her when more terrifying roars and howls rang out, showing Xenon's clear refusal of the woman brought to him. The lady instantly ran out, screaming.
"I can't do this! I'm sorry, but I can't! That beast will kill me! It'll—!"
Rayena finally had enough.
She cut in, stepping forward. "Let me do it. Let me go in there!" She cried out, and they all turned to her.
Morvan's eyes widened in shock as he saw Rayena approach him. "What are you doing here?! You've given us enough scares for one day, and now you're offering yourself too?!"
"Let me in... please," Rayena begged, not listening.
Morvan's eyes narrowed in fury. "That's not happening! What makes you think you can handle the king when he's like this?!"
"If you force that woman in there, Xenon will kill her," Rayena revealed, her voice stern despite the tremor that went through her.
"Hell, he'll do the same to you!" Morvan shot back.
"I'm fine with it. I'm the one who offered myself, right? I don't mind dying by his hands, as long as another person doesn't get to do it first."
She stated, keeping her voice calm.
The itch on her injured hand worsened. So did the heat and restlessness she was feeling. When Morvan didn't respond, Rayena reached to grab his arm. "Morvan, please. We don't want his rut to become worse than it already is. Let me do it."
Morvan clenched his jaw so hard he almost split a tooth. He was frustrated and worried. He couldn't believe one could be so stubborn, yet so determined.
It was at the tip of the tombe to keep refusing her, remind her of the consequences. But the look in her eyes held him back. Despite the danger, Rayena wanted to do this. She wanted to be the one to satisfy his rut.
He let out a huff, shoulders slumping in defeat. "Okay, fine. You'll go in. But remember, you brought this on yourself. Your blood is on your hands."
Rayena nodded. "I understand."