Marked By The Mad King Alpha (Phoebe and Perry) novel Chapter 261

Chapter 261: Chapter 261 Private Questions

Perry’s POV

The instant Phoebe’s door closed, my carefully maintained facade crumbled.

Timothy fell into step beside me as we headed toward the secure building where Ashford’s former leadership was being interrogated. Each step felt heavier than the last, weighed down by intelligence reports that had been flooding in since we’d arrived.

"Talk to me," I said, knowing Timothy’s expression meant the news was worse than expected.

"Three separate assassination attempts planned for the next week," Timothy began without preamble. "We intercepted communications between loyalist cells that apparently run deeper than we initially thought. They’re not just angry—they’re organized."

My jaw tightened. Bringing Phoebe here had been a calculated risk, but every hour made it feel more like a potentially fatal mistake.

"The intelligence gets worse," Timothy continued, his voice grim. "Two of the five kingdoms that confirmed attendance for your ball? They’ve been quietly discussing a military alliance against us. Our expansion has them spooked enough to consider joint action."

"Expected," I replied, though the timing was worse than I’d hoped.

"The venue’s arranged, but security will be a nightmare," Timothy added, shooting me a look that bordered on accusation. "You really painted a target on our backs by moving this aggressively."

I said nothing, refusing to second-guess strategic decisions that had already been made. But Timothy wasn’t finished.

"Is it smart?" he pressed, worry creasing his features. "Hosting an event like this when our hold here is barely stable? When we have credible threats against your life?" His voice dropped. "And with Phoebe here..."

He didn’t finish the sentence. He didn’t need to. Every moment she spent in this hostile territory was another roll of dice with stakes I couldn’t afford to lose.

"Yes," I replied firmly, though the single word carried more weight than he could understand. The ball wasn’t just diplomacy—it was a carefully orchestrated trap. But explaining that would have to wait.

We walked in tense silence toward the detention facility, passing guards who snapped to attention with the nervous energy of soldiers expecting attack at any moment.

"There’s something else," Timothy said finally, his voice carrying a different kind of concern. "Something that’s been bothering me for weeks now."

"What?" Irritation crept into my voice, though it was directed more at our impossible situation than at him.

Timothy hesitated, clearly struggling with how to phrase whatever was on his mind. "Can I ask you something personal? Something about... about Phoebe?"

The change in his tone made something cold settle in my stomach. "Spit it out."

"Are you..." Timothy fumbled with the words, shooting nervous glances at me. "Are you deliberately preventing it? Using protection or something?"

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