Chapter 277: Chapter 277 Empty Bed Morning
Phoebe’s POV
Perry had to be completely insane when he said those words—there was absolutely no way I’d ever let him give up his throne.
"Don’t say that." I shook my head frantically, like he’d just uttered the most horrible thing I’d ever heard. "Don’t, please."
"I want you, Phoebe, only you. The entire kingdom means nothing compared to you." His gaze burned into mine with an intensity that made my breath catch. "Never think about that again. If you believe I need an heir for the kingdom, then I’m ready to abandon it all. Wipe that thought from your mind. I’ll lose it completely if you keep thinking like that."
The fury radiating through our bond hit me like a physical force. Perry was beyond angry.
"Do you get it?" His palms pressed against my cheeks, but I couldn’t meet his eyes. "Do you understand me, Phoebe?"
I finally nodded, though I knew he could see right through me. He understood it wouldn’t be simple to erase those thoughts. At least now I grasped how deadly serious he was.
"Good." His lips brushed my forehead with surprising gentleness. "Stop pulling away from me. These past few days have been torture because I thought you were keeping me at arm’s length."
The same ache twisted in my chest. "I’m sorry."
"Don’t." He let out a soft laugh. "We’ve got to quit apologizing to each other. It’s not doing us any favors."
Tears still streaked down my face, but I couldn’t help smiling at that. "Yeah. You’re right."
After we talked everything through, the distance between us melted away. When we drifted off wrapped in each other’s arms, I felt lighter than I had in ages.
But when I opened my eyes, the bed was empty. A note sat on the nightstand where Perry should’ve been.
"You’re still sleeping, and I don’t want to interrupt your wet dream," I read aloud, then stared at the paper in disbelief. "Wet dream?" I couldn’t believe he’d actually written that, but despite my protests, a huge grin spread across my face.
The smile faded quickly when I remembered my plans for today. I had to see Jude about Timothy. Yesterday’s chaos meant I never got the chance to teach her how to brew Harlow’s medicine, so I needed to handle that now.
By my calculations, we could finish the concoction before evening.
I dragged myself out of bed and got ready for the omega quarters. Finding Jude was easy—everyone knew her around here.
"My queen... I am, I was... I’m sorry I bolted yesterday without explaining..." Jude’s voice barely reached above a whisper. She looked completely drained, and I could tell this whole situation was eating her alive, just like it was destroying Timothy.
"No, don’t apologize." I muttered under my breath, "I’ve heard enough of those lately." Last night had been nothing but apologies between Perry and me—I wasn’t about to fill today with more of the same.
Jude’s head dropped lower when she caught my comment, clearly at a loss for words.
"Come on, we’re supposed to learn how to make Harlow’s medicine, right? She’s probably running low, so we need to get moving." I deliberately avoided mentioning Timothy or yesterday’s drama, and I could practically feel Jude’s relief.
Before we could take a step, Harlow came racing toward us and wrapped herself around her mother’s leg.
"Can I come too? I want to come with you. I want to come with you," she chanted.
"Of course you can join us." I ran my fingers through Harlow’s hair, and that’s when inspiration struck. I reached out through the mindlink to Wade, who’d accompanied me here.
The young warrior was always nearby—sometimes alone, sometimes with Samuel, or occasionally just Samuel without Adam. But I was never left completely unguarded.
Right now, only Wade was around.
*But, my queen, Samuel isn’t here. I can’t abandon my post,* Wade’s reluctance came through clearly. He wasn’t trying to disobey direct orders, but leaving when Samuel was absent went against protocol.
*It’s fine, I’ll be in the kitchen. Plenty of other warriors will be there too.*
*But...*
Wade hesitated, but when I insisted, he had no choice but to give in.
Since he always moved like a shadow, Jude didn’t even register when he slipped away. She followed me toward the kitchen with Harlow, who was practically bouncing with excitement.
"What are we doing in the kitchen? We’re not supposed to go there, but my friends told me it’s where all the good food is. I love candy and cake."
"Harlow," Jude warned, worried her daughter’s chatter might annoy me.
But I loved hearing her talk. "Your friends are absolutely right—there’s tons of food in the kitchen. Want some?"
"Yes!"
"Only if you take your medicine like a good girl." I could see Harlow looked healthier than before, but her breathing was still shallow. One more round of the concoction should be enough to fix that.
Jude scooped up her daughter as Harlow started breathing heavily. Her little body was weaker than usual today.
"But it tastes nasty. I hate it." Harlow clamped both hands over her mouth.
"I’ll give you candy after you take the medicine." I pulled two pieces from my pocket—I’d come prepared for this exact scenario. That was all it took to get her agreement.
"Yay!" Harlow’s face lit up when she spotted the treats, but I quickly tucked them away.
"You get the candy after the medicine, deal?"
"Whyyy?" She stuck out her bottom lip in the most pitiful pout.
We got to work on the concoction, and it wasn’t long before Wade returned with Timothy in tow.
