Chapter 102: Chapter 102 A Bond Stretched Thin
"She tried to kill herself," Timothy told Marcela, the words hitting the royal gamma harder than expected. Panic clouded Timothy’s mind, making him forget that Phoebe had attempted this before.
If Helen were here instead of Marcela, she’d have recognized the signs immediately. She’d have known this wasn’t Phoebe’s first attempt.
"Don’t leave her alone again. Even if you need to step out, get someone to watch her. Got it?"
Marcela’s eyes widened in shock, but she nodded quickly. "Yes. I’m sorry. I had no idea..." She trailed off, clearly unaware of Phoebe’s history with self-harm.
"It’s fine. Just keep watch." Timothy shook his head, refusing to blame Marcela for what she couldn’t have known.
The healer was still finding her footing in this role, dealing with her own struggles. "Be more careful next time."
"Yes. Absolutely."
But another problem weighed on Timothy’s mind. The royal gamma needed to focus on Phoebe, yet Perry demanded attention too.
Being separated from his mate was clearly destroying the king’s mental state. Without Flynn there to keep him grounded, Perry might have slaughtered anything that moved.
Thank god the king still listened to his royal beta’s advice.
"Royal gamma Timothy! Bad news! Really bad news!"
A warrior burst in without knocking, earning himself a sharp glare from Timothy.
"What now?" Timothy didn’t want more problems, but ignoring them would only make things worse.
"The king!"
When Timothy reached the forest, Flynn was already there, looking anything but pleased. The royal beta stood arguing with one of the senior warriors.
As Timothy got closer, he caught the tail end of their conversation.
"...can’t send all our warriors in there, royal beta Flynn. We don’t know this forest. No one’s ever entered this place before. Only the king knows the terrain."
"Then how the hell do you plan to find the king?!" Flynn’s voice cracked with fury.
Timothy understood Flynn’s desperation to locate Perry quickly, but the royal gamma also saw the senior warrior’s point.
They’d already lost too many warriors in the last attack, and with several others defecting, they couldn’t afford to lose more.
"Those wild wolves only obey the king. There’s no guarantee they won’t attack us the moment we step into their territory."
Everyone knew how territorial wolves could be—they were part wolf themselves. Walking into that forest could be a death sentence.
"And then there’s the king..." The senior warrior hesitated, but everyone knew what he meant. "We don’t know what state he’s in right now. He could be as dangerous as those wild wolves." He paused. "Actually, he could be worse."
"Are you seriously suggesting we abandon the king and do nothing?!" Flynn’s anger flared white-hot.
"Of course not!"
Timothy stepped between them, offering a compromise.
"We wait until tomorrow. If the king hasn’t returned by then, we venture deeper into the forest."
Neither man liked that solution. Flynn didn’t want to wait, and the senior warrior didn’t want to risk his men at all. In his mind, the king was fine—what danger could he face in a forest he’d survived as a child?
But they had no other options. No matter what, Perry was their king. They needed him.
"Fine." Flynn’s irritation was obvious, clearly unhappy that Timothy wasn’t backing him completely. Still, it was a compromise he could live with. "I’ll handle the Elders."
Timothy grimaced. The royal gamma was grateful not to be a beta—dealing with the elders was something Timothy would never enjoy. He’d rather face the frontlines than those old hags.
"Royal gamma Timothy, can I speak with you for a moment?"
The senior warrior approached hesitantly.
"What is it?" Timothy tried to recall the man’s name, but the royal gamma’s mind was too scrambled. The face was familiar—they’d interacted plenty before.
"My mate wants to speak with you," he said carefully, making Timothy raise his eyebrows.
Timothy had never dealt with warriors’ mates before. The royal gamma couldn’t care less about them. "Why?"
"She has something important to tell you. Her name is Viola."
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Perry’s POV
I finally shifted back to human form, but the pain didn’t fade. It was more bearable than the first wave, but my condition hadn’t improved.
Something had happened to Phoebe. The mate bond between us stretched thin, nearly snapping.
I tried running from the pain, even though my beast demanded I return to my mate.
But I couldn’t. The moment I saw her, I’d break completely. The guilt over our child’s death consumed me, and I knew Phoebe wasn’t in good shape either.
My presence wouldn’t help her—it would only make things worse.
Yet I craved her more than anything.
She could poison me or kill me outright if it would ease her pain. I didn’t care anymore. But the truth was simple: my presence would only bring her more suffering.
My mate was drowning in pain, and I could feel every bit of it through our bond. But I couldn’t go to her.
I didn’t bring comfort—I brought misery instead.
