Chapter 59: Chapter 59 A Punch To The Gut
Perry’s POV
"What?" I wanted to rip someone’s throat out when I learned Timothy had dragged Phoebe off to some shopping center. Who the hell gave him permission to take her anywhere?
I tried choking down my rage, squeezing my eyes shut, but the fury radiating off me was thick enough to cut. The poor warrior in front of me was shaking like a leaf.
When I finally spoke again, I just told him to get lost. He bolted so fast you’d think his ass was on fire, desperate to escape my domineering presence.
But what could I really say? I wanted to beat Timothy senseless again, but I couldn’t. Technically, the bastard hadn’t done anything wrong. I never specifically told him not to take Phoebe anywhere.
I was the one who’d sent him to her so she’d open up more, so I’d know what really went down.
Timothy could claim this was part of his method, and I couldn’t argue since my instructions weren’t crystal clear.
"Damn it." I stormed to Phoebe’s bedroom.
They’d been gone for an hour, and according to that warrior, Timothy took Phoebe dress shopping.
I headed straight for the walk-in closet, and what I saw there hit me like a punch to the gut. It was completely bare. Not a single piece of clothing hanging on those racks.
But I spotted a bag tucked in the corner. It looked pitiful, hiding there, and it reminded me of Phoebe. That backpack was just like her.
Whenever I was around her, she seemed to want to vanish into thin air. She didn’t want anyone to notice her, and that realization twisted something inside me.
I glanced around the room and realized how badly I’d screwed up. I hadn’t been paying attention to her. I hadn’t even noticed she had no clothes, but Timothy did, and that pissed me off royally.
I walked out and dropped onto the edge of the bed, waiting for Phoebe to come back. It felt like forever.
I closed my eyes, trying to leash my anger. I didn’t want to explode like last time. I trusted my gamma not to pull anything shady, even if Phoebe tried something with him.
Hell.
Just thinking about Phoebe making a move on Timothy made my blood boil with pure rage.
——
Phoebe’s POV
I was actually happy.
I never thought I’d feel this way again, but here I was, genuinely happy. This was incredible. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt this light.
"You only say that because you can’t taste it," Timothy grumbled, clearly annoyed as hell with me while I laughed at his frustrated expression.
"No. That’s the weirdest thing I’ve ever put in my mouth," I insisted, mostly because I loved getting under the royal gamma’s skin. Teasing him felt liberating.
"Hell! You’re so damn annoying."
For the first time ever, I felt comfortable when someone was irritated with me, because I knew this was just playful banter.
The royal gamma really was gifted at making people feel at ease around him.
We were arguing about ice cream. I’d tried it, and I was absolutely sure I hated it.
When I was little, my father had bought me one, but I couldn’t remember the taste or how I’d felt eating it.
But when Timothy bought me one today, I knew I couldn’t stand it. The texture was awful in my mouth. It felt like eating cotton. There was no taste, obviously, but the way it melted... ugh.
I hated that texture. I’d never eat anything like that again, but Timothy was offended since ice cream was his favorite dessert. He took my opinion as a personal attack. Of course, it wasn’t that serious.
Timothy made a face. "I’m taking you to try pudding later."
Now it was my turn to grimace, because I’d eaten pudding plenty of times back in the Obsidian Claw pack when there wasn’t anything else. I hated that texture too.
"No thanks."
We kept joking as we walked down the corridor, two warriors trailing behind us with armloads of clothes we’d bought today.
At first, I’d freaked out because Timothy wanted to buy so many clothes. This was more than I’d owned even when my father still cared about me.
But Timothy said it wasn’t enough since we needed to fill my walk-in closet and stop making it look so pathetic with just my backpack.
I’d refused completely, but Timothy had tricked me. He told me Perry’s money would pay for it all, so this was the perfect way to get revenge.
The royal gamma knew exactly what to say to make it sound fun, which made me reluctantly agree. Plus, Timothy had badmouthed Perry too.
Not insultingly, but more like he was venting his annoyance at the king for giving him so many assignments.
I loved when Timothy did that, since I couldn’t do it openly. Of course, our complaints were totally different.
"Wait here," Timothy said suddenly, stopping dead in his tracks. He grabbed my hand before we could enter my bedroom.
"What’s wrong?" I was confused.
"Stay here, okay?" Timothy looked relaxed, even smiling slightly, but I sensed something was off.
"Why?" I looked horrified.
I couldn’t pick up Perry’s scent since I didn’t have shifter abilities, but Timothy could. And he knew the king was waiting for me inside.
——
Timothy didn’t want Perry meeting Phoebe without an explanation from him first. More importantly, he had no idea what kind of mood Perry was in right now. The king could explode like last time, and Timothy refused to let his progress with Phoebe spiral downward because of that.
After making sure Phoebe would stay outside the bedroom, he entered and found Perry sitting on the bed’s edge. He looked calm enough, but Timothy still needed to talk to him before letting Phoebe in.
"Where is she?" Perry asked. He glanced over Timothy’s shoulder, but Phoebe hadn’t followed him into the room. He knew she was nearby—he could smell her scent even before they’d reached the door.
"She’s right outside." Timothy sat down on the sofa across from Perry. "Look, if you can’t control your temper, it’d be better if you didn’t see her. I’ve worked my ass off to make her relax so she’ll open up a little, but if you keep pulling the same crap, I’ll never reach her and get the truth out."
