Marked By The Mad King Alpha (Phoebe and Perry) novel Chapter 231

Chapter 231: Chapter 231 Weight of Sorrow

Phoebe’s POV

Pain.

That was my first conscious thought as awareness clawed its way back to me. Not the sharp, clean pain of a wound that could be bandaged and healed, but something deeper. Something that felt like my very soul had been hollowed out with rusty claws.

I stirred awake to find Alpha Wallace perched in the chair beside me, his weathered face etched with concern. The moment my eyes fluttered open, he was on his feet.

"My queen." His voice carried that familiar gentleness, but I caught the tremor underneath. "Thank the goddess you’re awake."

The unfamiliar room swam into focus around me. Clean white walls. The scent of medicinal herbs. Sunlight filtering through gauze curtains. Nothing about this place belonged to me, yet somehow I knew I was safe.

Alpha Wallace’s face seemed recognizable, but my memories felt fractured, like trying to piece together a shattered mirror while wearing gloves.

Then it hit me.

The cramping. The blood. The desperate flight through the forest with Wade carrying me as my body betrayed everything I’d tried so hard to protect.

My baby.

My hand moved instinctively to my stomach, and the flatness I found there confirmed what my heart already knew. The child I’d fought so hard to keep, the life I’d risked everything for—gone.

"My queen, please don’t—" Alpha Wallace moved toward me as I tried to push myself upright, but the room tilted dangerously.

I gripped the sheets, waiting for the world to stop spinning. When I could finally focus on his face, I saw something there that made my chest tighten with dread.

He was struggling with words he didn’t want to say.

But I already knew what he couldn’t bring himself to tell me. My body had already whispered the truth in a language of emptiness and ache.

"Wade and Marcela," I managed to whisper, my voice barely audible. "Are they—?"

"Alive." Alpha Wallace’s relief at having good news to share was palpable. "Both stable. Wade took significant damage, but he’s strong. He’ll recover completely. Marcela... she’s tougher than she looks. They’re both going to make it."

The knot in my chest loosened fractionally. At least I hadn’t lost everyone.

I tried to swing my legs over the bed’s edge, desperate to see them, to confirm with my own eyes that they’d survived my failures.

Alpha Wallace’s gentle but firm pressure guided me back down.

"Not yet, my queen. The healer says you need at least another day before you can walk safely." His expression darkened. "I need to apologize. We should have been faster. If we’d reached you even minutes earlier, maybe—"

I shook my head, cutting off his words. Alpha Wallace bore no responsibility for this tragedy. If anything, his warriors had saved what remained of my shattered world.

"Tell me what happened," I said, my voice gaining strength. "Everything."

Alpha Wallace settled back into his chair, his hands clasped tightly. "We arrived just as Wade was facing three enemies alone. He’d already killed one, but the odds..." He paused, his jaw clenching. "That boy fought like a demon. Single-handedly kept them from reaching you and Marcela while she tried to shield you."

The image formed in my mind—Wade, barely more than a boy despite his warrior’s training, standing against impossible odds to protect his unconscious queen.

"Marcela took a blade meant for you. Nearly lost her leg in the process, but she never let them get close." Alpha Wallace’s voice carried deep respect. "By the time we arrived, the forest was littered with bodies. Wild wolves, enemy shifters, and..."

His words trailed off, but I heard what he couldn’t say.

"Justin and Orion." The names felt like stones in my throat.

"They died as warriors should," Alpha Wallace said quietly. "They took ten enemies with them before falling. Ten, my queen. Their sacrifice bought the time that saved your life."

The words should have been comforting. Instead, they felt like accusations.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify