Chapter 138: Chapter 138 Fury of the Mad King
Phoebe’s POV
The attack came so fast I barely registered what was happening. Even as people around me gasped in horror, I couldn’t process the scene unfolding before my eyes.
Thank God I was already seated, or I would’ve hit the floor just like that severed head.
My chest heaved as I struggled to breathe. I’d never watched someone get beheaded right in front of me before. Blood erupted from the headless corpse while the head dropped with a sickening thud, the body crashing down seconds later.
I stared as the life faded from elder Wesley’s eyes. That expression on his face... it would haunt me forever.
He looked completely bewildered, like he had no clue what hit him before everything went black.
The kneeling crowd immediately scrambled away from where the head had rolled. Their faces went white as sheets, but apart from that initial shocked gasp, nobody dared make a sound.
This wasn’t their first rodeo with the king’s fury. Just recently, Perry had executed elder Leo for disrespecting his mate. Elder Wesley should’ve taken notes.
Too bad he thought he was untouchable.
The four remaining elders and two alphas dropped to their knees before the king, shaking like leaves as they stammered out apologies. Fat lot of good it would do them now that they’d triggered the alpha’s rage.
Perry wiped the blood off his hand with the tablecloth, then rinsed it with water. He’d used his claws for a clean slice. Finally, after way too long, he could satisfy his wild wolves again.
"What was that you said? My mate doesn’t deserve to be queen of this kingdom? And what was that crap about rules?"
Perry stalked toward alpha Howard from Crystal Moon pack. The poor bastard pressed his forehead to the floor, babbling apologies.
"So? Anyone else got something clever to say?"
Perry turned his attention to elder Eden, closing in on her.
"I’m sorry, my king. I’m so sorry. This was all elder Wesley’s idea. He’s the one who convinced me to go along with it."
Elder Eden trembled in terror, not daring to lift her head or even glance at the alpha’s boots.
But Perry grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked her head up to study her face. "So? You didn’t think to tell him to shove his idea and walk away?"
"I- I’m sorry... I- I tried to tell him..."
"You didn’t try hard enough." Perry wrapped his fingers around her throat and crushed her windpipe before she could squeeze out another apology.
He moved on to the three remaining elders, but two of them jumped up and bolted for the door. Pure terror had short-circuited their brains, and their only instinct was to put as much distance between themselves and the king as possible, or they’d be next.
They should’ve known better. Nobody escapes the Mad King. Perry had entered his killing frenzy, where all he wanted was to slaughter these idiots.
The royal treasury had fed them, made them wealthy, but they’d fought him at every turn. Worse, they’d insulted his mate.
Above every other law in this kingdom, one rule reigned supreme: the destined mate was sacred. And they’d just spat on the king’s. What the hell did they think would happen?
How stupid could they be to think they’d walk out of here in one piece?
Perry shifted into his beast form, and in a heartbeat, his claws punched through both elders’ hearts, leaving neat holes in their chests as blood pooled across the floor.
Everyone still kneeling didn’t dare look up, maintaining perfect submission by baring their necks.
Meanwhile, the people who’d opposed the king earlier had literally pissed themselves. They knew they were next.
And they weren’t wrong, as the massive black wolf prowled toward the last elder.
Even in beast form, the king’s expression was savage. Everyone in the room could feel his bloodlust.
"My king... I apologize... I apologize..."
The remaining elder was Beck, an old-timer who handled war rations for the conflict with Valerium kingdom. He’d been skimming money for years, but his family’s position as one of the kingdom’s pillars had kept him alive.
It was messy business, since Perry hadn’t caught him red-handed yet.
Didn’t matter now. He could pin treason on him, which would let him punish the whole family.
"My king... my king... I..."
He never finished his sentence. The beast’s claws raked across his chest, but this time death didn’t come quick. Instead, Perry tore him apart piece by piece, letting his screams echo through the dining hall.
The king had completely lost it. He didn’t even care that I was still in the room, watching this butchery unfold.
My stomach twisted into knots. I wanted to puke, but I was too frozen to move.
Seeing no other option, the two alphas turned to me instead, dropping to their knees and begging for forgiveness and protection.
"My lady, please, forgive our disrespect. We didn’t mean it like that. We weren’t thinking straight!"
They grabbed at my legs, but I immediately stood and backed away, which only made them more desperate.
Big mistake. It just pissed off the beast even more, since they’d dared touch his mate.
Especially when one of them lunged at me and wrapped his clawed hand around my throat.
