Chapter 119: Chapter 119 Stripped Of His Title
Perry’s POV
"Please, I need to see the king. I have to see the king!" A desperate woman pleaded with my warriors at the entrance. Word had reached her that I’d been staying at the beach house, not far from her residence.
"What’s your business?! You can’t just demand an audience with the king!" My warriors snapped back, irritated. They knew better than to disturb me unnecessarily, especially over trivial matters. "Back off!"
Fear crept into their voices—they dreaded the thought of me hearing this disturbance and losing my temper over their inability to handle one woman.
"I have information about the king’s mate!" The woman finally burst out. "Please! You must let me see him! My two sisters are in danger!"
At those words, my warriors rushed inside, then returned with me in tow. This marked the woman’s first encounter with me face-to-face.
Like most citizens in my kingdom, she’d only glimpsed me through television broadcasts. Still, my presence was unmistakable.
The moment she laid eyes on me, her knees gave way. My aura overwhelmed her—she wasn’t accustomed to such raw power.
"My king..." Her voice shook as she bowed her head in surrender.
"Get up. What do you know?" I had zero patience for ceremony. I needed to locate my mate immediately.
"Th-there were several people who broke into my house. I recognized one of them. It was... Reginald from the Obsidian Claw pack..."
My decision to publicize photos of those traitors from every pack had paid off. I’d also posted bounties for anyone who eliminated these rebels trespassing on my territory.
That’s how this woman identified Reginald.
"He brought a woman with him—she was hurt, and he forced my younger sister to heal her. When I saw what was happening, I ran to find help." Shame colored her features as she admitted to fleeing, abandoning her sisters to danger.
But she’d made the smart choice. No way could she have fought those warriors. And knowing I was close by, she’d come straight here.
"I believe... I believe the woman is your mate, my king. I saw her curly, long brown hair." She recalled Phoebe from a viral video months ago when we’d appeared together at a shopping center.
"Where is she?" My voice turned deadly as I demanded more details.
——
The first sensation that hit Flynn when consciousness returned was agony. Crushing, unbearable pain shooting through his legs.
He let out a tortured groan, scanning his surroundings. A bed. He recognized this as one of the rooms in the beach house. Distant waves crashed against the shore, and afternoon sunlight filtered through the window.
It should have been tranquil if not for the torment coursing through him.
"Don’t move—keep your legs still," Marcela warned. She’d heard his voice and rushed to his side. "You’ll only make the damage worse."
Marcela eased Flynn back onto his pillow, then offered him water, which he gulped down desperately.
"Wh-what happened?" Flynn asked, wiping his mouth before staring at his bandaged legs.
He remembered Perry beating him senseless. He’d thought the king would finish him when he shifted into his beast form, but clearly he’d survived.
"Guess he decided against killing me," Flynn laughed bitterly. He winced when he attempted to shift his legs. "How long was I unconscious?"
He lifted his head toward Marcela, but her expression filled him with dread.
"Just a few hours. Seven, to be exact."
Flynn exhaled. "Figured as much. Otherwise, I’d be healed by now."
But Marcela shook her head grimly. "Your legs won’t heal, royal beta Flynn." She paused, then corrected herself. "Actually, you’re no longer a beta. The king stripped your title."
"What? What are you saying?!" Flynn’s head snapped up.
Marcela looked miserable. She hadn’t wanted to deliver this news, but the king had ordered her to do it. He refused to see his former beta again.
He also wouldn’t grant Flynn the dignity of having a warrior relay the information. Instead, Marcela bore this responsibility, which showed exactly how much the king despised him.
This violated shifter protocol entirely.
Hierarchy mattered in their world. For someone of Flynn’s former rank, at minimum the royal gamma should have delivered such news.
Yet here was someone who wasn’t even a shifter. It felt like a vicious slap.
No disrespect to Marcela, but she lacked shifter blood.
"What? You’re lying..." Flynn’s heart hammered as he tried moving his legs again, but pain stopped him cold.
"Don’t... please, stay still. You’ll make your legs worse. You won’t be able to walk if you keep trying to move them!" Marcela panicked.
This revelation hit Flynn like another blow. He froze completely.
The shock of his demotion made him miss Marcela’s other crucial information.
"What do you mean? My healing ability..."
"The king crushed your legs, but he prevented me from treating you until it was too late. Your legs are useless now..."
