Marked By The Mad King Alpha (Phoebe and Perry) novel Chapter 213

**Title: His Mercy Tastes Like Hunger**
**Chapter 213: Shattered Hope**

**Phoebe’s POV**

Marcela’s words pierced through me like shards of ice, chilling me to the very core.

I could see the anguish etched in her features, yet that did little to soften the impact of her plea. It wasn’t her intention to extinguish my joy; rather, she was trying to shield both Perry and me from what she perceived as an unavoidable calamity.

“Please, think about it again,” she urged, her voice trembling with desperation as she implored me to consider ending my pregnancy. The timing was still early enough that the toll on my health would be minimal. The sheer cruelty of asking an expectant mother to forsake the child she had yearned for was not lost on either of us, but Marcela felt trapped in a corner, forced to speak her harsh truth.

My reaction was precisely what she had anticipated. I sprang to my feet, instinctively wrapping my arms around my stomach, glaring at her as if she had brandished a weapon.

“Phoebe, please…” Marcela’s voice faltered, her internal struggle evident as she grappled with the thought of involving Perry. She couldn’t bring herself to share this burden with him—not when the situation was already so fraught with complications.

Perry was on the brink of going into battle, and this bombshell would undoubtedly shatter his concentration. Although Marcela was not a warrior, she understood the brutal reality of warfare: a distracted mind could lead to fatal consequences.

Yet, deep down, she was aware that she couldn’t sway me on her own.

I shook my head defiantly, fixing her with a steely gaze that could have frozen fire.

My lips pressed tightly together, battling to maintain my composure amidst the chaos of emotions swirling within.

“Phoebe, please, you need to understand this,” she implored, her voice thick with emotion.

In a sudden burst of frustration, I snatched my notebook, furiously scribbling my thoughts before thrusting it toward her. *[You told me yourself I’d be fine, that I could carry a child if I followed your care and drank your tonics regularly. I’ve done everything. You said I was healthy!]*

Guilt washed over Marcela’s face, her lips pressing into a thin line as she absorbed my words. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have given you false hope, but I couldn’t bear to crush your dreams,” she confessed, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

She had convinced herself that I wouldn’t conceive so easily—that I might never bear a child again—and clung to that belief with a fervor that now felt like a betrayal.

Her admission struck me like a physical blow, leaving me reeling.

“I’m sorry, I don’t think this is viable given your current condition…” Tears threatened to spill from Marcela’s eyes, and I could see the weight of her words pressing down on her. She knew she had caused more harm than good.

*So you never believed I could get pregnant again? That’s what you really thought? That’s why you said all those encouraging things?* My hands trembled as I held the note aloft, the truth burning in my chest.

“I’m sorry.”

Marcela didn’t outright deny my accusation, but her desperate apology was all the confirmation I needed. Deep down, she had truly believed that I would never carry a baby again.

Wade sat behind the wheel, occasionally catching my reflection in the rearview mirror. The young warrior was eager to prove himself, but the tension in the air was palpable, and he could sense my distress.

Justin would gently nudge him to focus on the road when his glances lingered a moment too long, as if trying to shield me from the scrutiny.

This was Wade’s first major assignment as a newly appointed warrior, and his eagerness to impress was evident. However, perfection was not what I craved at this moment; I longed for calm and silence while my thoughts churned like a tempest.

My mind was a cacophony of noise, and I desperately sought a way to quiet it. Anxiety clawed at me, especially now that I had confirmed the tiny life growing inside me.

Meanwhile, Fiona stood on the deck, gazing up at the stars, her arms wrapped around herself as she sought refuge from the others. The wind whipped through her hair, and exhaustion tugged at her limbs, but she couldn’t bear the thought of returning to her cabin just yet.

She needed solitude to untangle the web of emotions that had ensnared her heart.

Today had brought too many revelations, and they were fortunate that Royal Beta Allen had secured them passage across the territory by water.

But the problem was that Fiona despised Allen completely. The knowledge that she carried his child filled her with a sense of dread so profound that it made her want to throw herself overboard.

As if summoned by her dark thoughts, Allen approached, a smirk playing on his lips.

“So, here you are…”