Chapter 285: Chapter 285 Healing Sleep
"Will he die?" Harlow whispered, her small voice trembling as tears spilled down her cheeks. Terror filled her wide eyes as she stared at her mother.
Anyone could understand her fear. The little girl had witnessed the savage brutality of those beasts, watched them tear into the royal gamma with murderous intent. They would have torn her apart too.
Without his sacrifice, Harlow wouldn’t have survived.
"No, sweetheart. He’ll make it." Jude’s voice cracked as she brushed away her own tears. "He has to."
Jude grabbed a cloth, soaking it in water before wringing it out. Gently, she began cleaning the dried blood from Timothy’s pale skin. He’d lost so much blood that his face looked ghostly white.
Blood loss took longer to heal than broken bones or surface wounds. That’s why Timothy remained trapped in unconsciousness.
Jude worked carefully, wiping away every trace of blood while Harlow watched with heartbroken eyes. The child desperately wanted the kind man to wake up.
"Please, open your eyes. Please..." Jude’s whispered plea hung in the air, but the gamma was too deep in healing sleep to hear her desperation.
"Mama, don’t cry." Harlow wrapped her arms around Jude, her own tears flowing freely when she saw her mother’s anguish. "Don’t cry, mama..." Her sobs grew louder.
"It’s alright, baby. Don’t cry, sweetheart..." Jude pressed kisses to her daughter’s head, holding her closer.
But Harlow only cried harder, overwhelmed by the waves of grief and fury radiating from her mother.
"Shh, baby. Everything’s okay." Jude kissed away Harlow’s tears with trembling lips. "Don’t cry, my little one... he’s a good man. The Moon Goddess won’t let anything happen to him."
Harlow nodded through her tears. "He’s good. He gave me meat."
"Meat?" Jude’s brows knitted together. "What meat?"
——
Phoebe’s POV
I was heading back with Patricia when I spotted Perry striding toward the infirmary to check on Timothy. His pace quickened when he saw me approaching.
Patricia immediately fell back, creating respectful distance between us as Perry reached me.
"Going to see Timothy?" I asked.
"Yes."
I shook my head. "He’s stable, but you should give him space right now."
Perry’s frown deepened. "Why?" Despite his confusion, he didn’t resist when I steered him away from the infirmary, leading him in the opposite direction.
"I’ll explain." I glanced at Patricia, who kept her head lowered respectfully. With a nod, I dismissed her.
Patricia headed back toward the infirmary while Samuel and Wade maintained their distance behind us.
"Timothy’s mate is with him," I said with a teasing smile. "I think he’d rather wake up to her face than yours."
I filled Perry in on everything that had happened.
He didn’t seem bothered by missing his royal gamma, or even surprised. As long as Timothy was alive and healing, that satisfied him.
"What were you doing wandering around during an attack?" His eyes narrowed dangerously, and I knew I was in trouble.
"I was worried about Timothy, so I came immediately. Wade and Samuel were with me. You don’t need to worry."
But I could see my excuse wasn’t working. He was still furious that I’d put myself in danger.
There was only one way to calm him down. I rose on my toes and pressed my lips to his. "Don’t be angry," I whispered.
"You think a kiss will make my anger disappear?" His intense stare revealed nothing, making him impossible to read.
So one kiss wasn’t enough? Maybe two would work.
I kissed him again, softer this time. "Sorry."
Perry’s hand slid behind my back, pulling me closer as he deepened the kiss with devastating intensity.
My eyes widened—Samuel and Wade were still nearby, and this kiss was getting... heated.
But Perry didn’t care. He kissed me however he wanted, pressing me against the wall and tilting my head back to claim more of me.
Insane. He was absolutely insane with the way his mouth moved against mine. It was... intoxicating.
At first, I held back, aware of our audience, but Perry was too overwhelming.
Soon I was lost in our fierce kiss, forgetting everything around me. Only Perry existed in my world. Nothing else mattered.
I gasped when his hand found my breast, but then he suddenly stopped and pulled away.
Still dizzy, I opened my eyes to find him pressing his forehead against mine.
"Can’t let them see you like this," he said, his voice rough with desire. He wanted me—badly—but we were in public. There was no way he’d let anyone else witness my pleasure. "Give me a moment to cool down."
He breathed heavily, growling in frustration because he couldn’t have me right here, right now. Not with everything he needed to handle, especially with Timothy unconscious.
If it were up to him, he’d carry me back to our bedroom and make love to me until I forgot my own name.
"God, you’ll be the death of me..."
