Marked By The Mad King Alpha (Phoebe and Perry) novel Chapter 61

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When I woke, my thoughts felt like tangled threads — impossible to separate, impossible to name. Perry slept beside me, his breathing steady and calm.

Last night had been different.
He’d touched me carefully, without cruelty. For once, he hadn’t tried to break me down or bend me into silence. Instead, he’d looked at me as if I were something fragile — precious, even. And I’d liked it.

But I reminded myself why I was here. One night of gentleness didn’t erase the months of fear, the pain, the humiliation. I couldn’t let kindness blur my purpose.

Quietly, I slipped from the bed. He didn’t stir. The king of an empire lay there, lost in his first real sleep in weeks. Even if the palace crumbled around him, he wouldn’t wake.

Perfect.

I went to the bathroom, retrieved the hidden vial, and moved to the television room. Breakfast waited on the table — two plates, because the servants knew he’d spent the night here.

I uncorked the bottle and let a few drops fall into his food. Usually, I tested the mixture on myself first, but the last few times had nearly made me collapse. I was weakening. I couldn’t risk dying before he did.

The poison disappeared into the food like it had never existed. I hid the vial inside a porcelain vase and sat down.

All that was left was to wait.

Three hours later, Perry finally woke. The staff reheated breakfast three times before he appeared, hair tousled, expression softened by sleep. When he realized the bed was empty, he looked around like he’d misplaced something vital.

He found me curled on the sofa, laughing at a cartoon.

“Do you like it that much?” he asked, his voice startling me so badly my heart jumped. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.”

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“Sorry…” I pressed a hand to my chest, forcing myself to breathe. Guilt buzzed beneath my skin.

He joined me on the sofa, eyes flicking to the table. “Why haven’t you eaten?”

“I was waiting for you,” I said quickly. “Didn’t want to eat alone.”

That seemed to please him; his shoulders relaxed.

“Then let’s eat.”

He reached for the nearest plate — my poisoned one. Relief nearly made me dizzy.

I took my portion and ate slowly, forcing each bite down.

“Can you taste anything yet?” he asked.

“Not yet.”

“Then we’ll see another healer.”

The air left my lungs. I lowered my head, fingers tightening around my fork.

So that was it. Not redemption. Not love. Just duty.

The silence turned suffocating. Perry didn’t seem to notice; he kept eating, calm and sure of himself while something inside me fractured.

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“Gods, Perry.” Timothy dragged both hands down his face when I told him later. “You actually said that to her?”

“It’s the truth.”

He groaned. “Sometimes the truth is the last thing you say. Have you ever tried empathy?”

I frowned. “You want me to lie?”

Before Timothy could answer, Flynn strode in, papers in hand.

“I’ve investigated the matter,” the beta said.