Chapter 166: Chapter 166 A Kings Unshakable Resolve
Phoebe’s POV
Terror gripped me when I learned Perry planned to lead the war against the Valerium and Reginald. He was taking this personally—that made it deadly dangerous.
[It can be a trap.] I trailed behind Perry, clutching my notes, shoving them in front of his face until he had no choice but to read my scrawled words.
Frustration boiled over inside me. I was so desperate I tried to force actual sounds from my throat, anything to make him stop dismissing my warnings.
"If that’s a trap, so be it," Perry said with a shrug that made my blood run cold. His casual tone suggested he genuinely didn’t care. What could they do to him anyway, even if it was a trap?
He commanded superior numbers and knew every inch of this terrain. This was his kingdom, after all.
But his indifference only fueled my panic.
I kicked his leg hard enough to make him wince, needing him to see how deadly serious this was. Perry couldn’t treat this like some minor skirmish!
"Phoebe," he said my name like a warning, but when his eyes met my frantic expression, his stern facade cracked. "I’ll be fine. I’ll come back as soon as possible."
I shook my head violently and threw my arms around him, clinging tight, refusing to let go.
We stood in the war room where I’d rushed the moment Marcela told me about the attack on Sunstone Creek pack.
The news had already spread like wildfire through the kingdom. People were on edge, knowing their home was under assault—this was the Valerium’s retaliation.
I lifted my face to his, letting all my desperation show in my eyes. ’Please.’
Damn. The word flickered across his features as he fought against giving in to me. But I could see his resolve holding firm.
He needed to leave, to end this—especially Reginald. He was going to tear that bastard apart for what he’d done to his mate.
If I thought this was personal, then yes—it was personal. Would it make him reckless? Probably. But he’d get them one way or another.
He was still kicking himself for not killing that bastard the first time he’d set foot in the palace. If he had, Helen would still be alive.
He was living with the consequences of that mistake. Helen had been one of his people.
"I can’t, Phoebe. I’ll give you anything else you want, but not this." Perry pressed his lips to my forehead.
My heart shattered. All I wanted was for him to stay safe, but he was refusing the one thing I’d ever truly begged him for.
I buried my face against his chest, not crying but feeling like I might break apart.
"Come, I’ll show you the plan." Perry guided me to the massive table displaying the kingdom’s map. "Here’s Sunstone Creek pack." He pointed to an area marked with a red flag.
Five red flags dotted the kingdom’s southern border—five packs that had fallen to enemy hands. Most were small, but Sunstone Creek was the largest.
Apparently, Reginald had been hiding there, making it easy for him to bring it down from within.
But there was another problem: the sheer number of Valerium warriors inside Perry’s territory meant someone had bribed their way in. Perry was going to make them regret it.
Elder Tricia was currently investigating that angle.
"Here’s a dam..." Perry began explaining his strategy involving the dam.
You’re going to kill civilians too. I wanted to protest, but Perry shook his head before I could write it down.
"No, we’ll evacuate them first. That’s our main priority." Only after securing the innocents would they blow the dam to wash away the mutts who’d invaded his territory.
But Perry planned to catch Reginald first. That bastard didn’t deserve such an easy death.
Relief flooded through me when I heard the full explanation.
I didn’t want Perry killing innocent people, but I had no problem with him destroying the enemy.
Still, my worry for him remained a knot in my chest.
"Want to learn about defense and attack strategy?" Perry seized this chance to teach me about our kingdom. Yes, ours now.
It was also a distraction, I realized, to keep me from spiraling into panic.
He wanted me to feel his control over the situation. And he was in control.
I listened intently. According to what Perry had heard from Sir Corey, I was a quick study. He was one of my teachers.
Since Perry couldn’t spend as much time with me as he wanted, he’d arranged for several mentors to educate me about the kingdom.
My medicine lessons with Marcela continued, of course—that was my favorite time, aside from being with Perry.
"Now you know everything. You can stop worrying." Perry smiled at me.
[I’ll never stop worrying when you’re in danger.] The truth stung because I felt like a hypocrite. There’d been a time when I was the danger threatening Perry. I’d tried to kill him more than once.
When we lay together in bed, skin against skin, I could still see that scar on his chest where my knife had nearly stolen his life.
"I won’t be in danger," Perry said gently.
