Chapter 197: Chapter 197 What Must Be Done
Fiona clutched her brother tight while Draven drew his final breaths. The cliff had claimed him during their desperate flight.
Royal warriors pressed close behind, hunting the survivors with ruthless precision, cutting them down without mercy.
The few fighters still loyal to Reginald fought back as they scattered, seeking escape routes.
They’d planned for this moment - knew exactly where to regroup if everything went wrong.
But the rain had turned everything treacherous. Draven lost his footing on the slick rocks and plummeted.
The boy’s skull cracked against stone, and his young healing powers couldn’t match the devastating injuries. His abilities hadn’t matured enough to save him.
"We have to get him to a healer, find someone who can fix this... please," Fiona pleaded with Reginald, but he stayed silent.
Tiara wrapped her arms around the grieving woman. "He’s gone. You have to let him go. We can’t stay here."
"No! I won’t abandon him! He’s my brother - my only family!"
Fiona’s words dissolved into broken sobs. She couldn’t think beyond the pain. All she wanted was to stay with Draven forever. The running, the fighting - she was done with it all.
She wanted it to end.
Tiara wouldn’t allow that surrender, but her next words crushed Fiona even deeper.
"Stop this, Fiona. You have a new family now. Think about yourself and the child you’re carrying."
The child... The baby growing inside her?
Given the choice, Fiona would sacrifice the unborn life for her brother’s without hesitation. The thought consumed her with rage, especially when Allen’s voice cut through her grief.
"Are we leaving or what?! We’ll all be dead if we stay! Get up! Carry the woman if you have to!" He barked orders at Reginald.
"Go to hell!" Fiona snarled at the royal beta. She released Draven’s lifeless form and stormed toward Allen with fury blazing in her eyes.
Before she could reach him, Reginald intercepted her. His arm locked around her throat, cutting off her air supply.
"What are you doing?!" Tiara shrieked as Fiona’s body went slack. "You’re strangling her! You’ll kill her!"
"Relax, Mom. She’s just unconscious. She’ll be fine." Reginald hoisted Fiona’s limp form over his shoulder. "Time to move."
Reginald’s gaze lingered on Draven’s corpse. The boy had felt like a little brother to him - always brought light to their dark world.
But in moments like this, Reginald discovered his attachment wasn’t as deep as he’d believed. He could walk away from the body without a shred of guilt.
"Let’s go," Reginald commanded Allen and his mother.
---
Phoebe’s POV
I’d never look at the war room the same way again. What Perry had done to me there was beyond mortifying.
Thank god I’d lost my voice, because if I could speak, I would’ve screamed his name loud enough for the entire palace to hear.
"Why are you turning red?" Marcela blinked at me, confused. "Are you sick?" She pressed her palm against my forehead, feeling the slight warmth there. "Should I brew you something?"
My temperature wasn’t dangerous, but definitely higher than normal.
I shook my head quickly. ’I’m fine,’ I mouthed.
The incident with Perry had happened three hours ago, and now he was back in that same room, continuing his war meetings with the others.
I’d demanded every window in the war room be thrown open.
Every single one, because I couldn’t bear the thought of anyone discovering what we’d done in there.
Even though it wasn’t wrong - perfectly normal between mates - I still dreaded the idea of them catching our lingering scent during their war discussions.
But Perry had just smirked. The possibility of annoying the elders with our scent seemed to brighten his mood considerably.
He’s completely insane.
"No, I don’t think you’re sick..." Marcela studied me with narrow, suspicious eyes. "You’re blushing. Yes, that’s exactly what this is. You’re blushing." Her grin widened, making me squirm. "Did something happen during your visit to the king’s war room?"
I’d come here for my daily dose of medicine. I could taste the bitter herbs even though everything else remained numb to me.
Still, I forced it down without complaint.
’No.’
"What do you mean, no? Your face is getting even redder."
Marcela was right, and I could feel it too. Heat blazed across my cheeks because my mind wouldn’t stop replaying every detail of what Perry had done to me.
His hands...
’I need sleep.’
I downed the rest of the bitter concoction in one gulp, the taste barely registering compared to Marcela’s laughter as I fled the infirmary like something was chasing me.
Back in my bedroom, I buried myself under the covers and tried to sleep.
But my eyes refused to close.
Part of me was waiting for Perry to return, because he’d be leaving for war soon, and I didn’t want to waste a single moment we had left. I wanted to stay close to him every second possible.
But disappointment was all I’d find, because in the war room, tension had reached a breaking point, especially when a warrior arrived with news from the landslide site.
"Gamma Timothy reports at least two hundred fugitives under Reginald’s command managed to escape, including the royal beta from Valerium Kingdom. Royal Beta Allen."
