Chapter 62: Chapter 62 The Price Of Silence
Perry’s POV
"By the way, I was looking for you last night. Where’d you disappear to?" Flynn’s eyes found mine. The king—me—had wanted his report by day’s end, but when the deadline hit, I was nowhere to be found.
"What’d you dig up?" I brushed off his question, cutting straight to what mattered. "Anyone spot him?"
"Nope." Flynn’s head shook. "Questioned around two hundred people." The royal beta’s face twisted with annoyance—clearly thought it was a waste of time when he could’ve been handling more important shit. But the results caught him off guard. "Not one of them saw Reginald."
He couldn’t hit up all thousand warriors in such a short window, but there was no damn way two hundred people missed seeing Reginald.
"You sure they actually know the guy?"
"Yeah, they know him. Turns out he’s pretty popular around here." Flynn dropped into a chair, his gaze drifting to the window.
"I don’t get any of this crap. What exactly are you trying to prove, Perry?"
I didn’t answer right away. Instead, I called to the warrior stationed at the door, ordering him to fetch the guard who’d been watching Phoebe’s room the other day.
"Now what?" Flynn’s frown deepened, irritation written across every line of his face. He was pissed about whatever I was planning, convinced I could be using this time for something more productive. We had plenty to handle after conquering those cities in the Valerium Kingdom.
Timothy stayed quiet, mostly just curious about where this was heading. If he was being honest, he leaned toward believing Phoebe when she claimed Reginald had been in her room, despite what the guard had reported.
Timothy had crossed paths with Reginald before and hadn’t liked what he’d seen. Sure, the guy was charming and smooth-talking, but something felt off.
The warrior arrived quickly—the same bastard who’d lied to my face, claiming Phoebe had made up the whole thing about Reginald being in her room.
"You called for me, my king." He dropped to one knee, all politeness and respect.
"I want to ask you again about the other day. Did Reginald enter my mate’s bedroom?" I leaned forward, feeling my blue eyes darken a few shades.
"No, my king. Nobody entered that room. It was the lady who trashed her own space." His answer came loaded with details I hadn’t even asked for.
Meanwhile, Timothy settled back, arms crossed over his chest, studying the warrior. The royal gamma’s expression gave nothing away.
"So nobody came into her room?" I pushed up from my seat and started moving toward the guard. Each step was deliberate, slow—like a predator closing in on its prey.
There was a tiny shift in the warrior’s expression that both Timothy and I caught, though Flynn seemed completely oblivious.
"Yes, nobody entered her room. I stood guard for hours, never left my post, but I didn’t see anyone come or go. Just the lady in there."
Another long, detailed explanation that nobody had requested. The guy was trying too hard.
"You absolutely certain?" I was right in front of him now, staring down. I had a full head on this warrior.
"Yes, my king... there was nobody there."
"Then why did I pick up someone else’s scent in that room?"
That was bullshit—I hadn’t smelled anything. Reginald had pulled some trick to mask his scent, making it vanish completely so nobody would know he’d been there.
But this warrior didn’t know those details. He’d just been told what to say and promised that Reginald wouldn’t leave any trace behind.
When he’d entered the bedroom, he hadn’t caught any foreign scent either. Maybe he figured my nose was just sharper than his.
"Tell me the truth, and I’ll let you live. Keep lying, and I’ll toss you to the wild wolves."
I didn’t need to raise my voice—the quiet threat was enough to make him shake with fear. "So what’s it gonna be? Truth?"
"That is the truth, my king. I wouldn’t dare lie to you." The guy had balls, lying straight to my face, but he was sticking to his story. "That’s the truth, please believe me."
"No. Tell me whose scent that was."
Flynn’s interest sparked at that, same with Timothy. Both had been told there was no scent besides Phoebe’s, which would’ve meant she was alone.
But now I was saying something different.
They were trying to figure out what was going through my head. Couldn’t know for sure, but seeing me get this close to the warrior had them on edge. The way I was looking at him—pure murderous intent.
"One more time. I’ll ask you once more before you lose your life." I grabbed his throat, which made Flynn jump up and call my name in warning. But I was already too far gone. "Did Reginald or someone else get into that room?"
Timothy sat up straighter—this was spiraling out of control. He didn’t know what to do but was perched on the edge of his seat.
He caught the subtle change in the warrior’s face, though it could’ve just been fear. Who wouldn’t be terrified right now?
Maybe the guy was lying, but when he was this stubborn about it, it was tough to tell.
"Tell me." I tightened my grip on his neck, watching his face flush red. At this point, I didn’t give a damn if he was lying or not—bloodlust had taken over completely. Just proving once again why they called me the Mad King.
"No one..." The warrior gasped for air. His face was turning dark from the chokehold.
Instinctively, he clawed at my hand, drawing blood, but I barely noticed. "No one... no one entered..."
"Perry!" Flynn shouted, moving toward us to stop this madness. "Perry!"
I couldn’t hear him calling my name.
The urge to kill this warrior was overwhelming. It’d been too long since I’d killed someone. We hadn’t caught any traitors lately to feed to the forest wolves.
"Perry, stop this!" Flynn’s voice carried a warning edge.
He was just one step away from us. "You’re gonna kill him. You don’t want to do this."
The warrior’s attempts to claw at my hand grew weaker. His eyes rolled back as he struggled for breath. He was seconds away from death.
"Perry, stop it!" Flynn reached for me, trying to physically pull me back before I killed the warrior.
