Chapter 5

Rayena screamed as the wolf tackled her to the ground, its saliva slobbering all over her face as it snarled at her, yellow eyes narrowed in determination and fury.

Are wolves usually this big? Rayena wondered as she flailed her limbs, trying to get away. There was a crazed look in its eyes, and even as she struggled against it, desperate to free herself, it growled louder, its actions becoming more aggressive.

Another scream tore from her lips, terror splitting her in two. Frantic, she grabbed a fistful of dirt and threw it across its face. The animal yelped, pulling back in distress as some of the dirt entered its eyes. Rayena took advantage of that moment and tried to make an escape, but the wolf let out a powerful roar, reached a limb out, and with its claws ripped her dress. Rayena stumbled to the ground, her breath knocked out of her.

Adrenaline pulsing through her veins, she still tried to scramble, but the wolf was soon upon her, using a foot to keep her pinned to the ground. Taking large sniffs of the air, it let out a low rumble, and with a swipe of its claws, tore the rest of her dress off her body completely before sinking its claws into her sides.

Sharp pain tore through her senses and she screamed for help, her heart pounding like a drum. "Somebody, help me, please!!" she cried out, while the animal struggled to get between her legs. The implications of what the beast wanted to do had her frozen for a moment. Terror settled in her gut and, abandoning all sense of decorum, Rayena renewed her struggles, terrified of letting the animal succeed.

Out of nowhere, hooked spears whizzed past, hitting the wolf and pushing it back. Soldiers burst out from the darkness, each armed with their weapons of choice, and before her stood a man in uniform, eyes narrowed in concentration.

The wolf let out a deafening roar, struggling against its new confines.

"Pull back!" the newcomer gave orders, and the soldiers fired their hooked spears, pulling the animal back. Eventually, they dislodged the beast from Rayena, and she crawled away, body still shaking from fear. The wolf let out a howl of frustration, and with a yank of its forelimbs, broke away some of the spears lodged in it.

More spears pierced its body, blood spilling from the wounds it had sustained. "Keep pulling him back!" the newcomer yelled, and a soldier ran to hand him darts and a bow. With a curse, he aimed the darts at the wolf and struck all three into the wolf's chest. The beast let out a painful cry and fell to the ground with a thud. It snarled, still glaring at Rayena with hunger in its eyes. She shuddered, a whimper stuck in her throat.

A tense moment followed while the wolf growled and moved on the ground, now rendered powerless. "Take him away..." the man spoke, and some soldiers shifted then, dragging the wolf along with them. Letting out a sigh, the newcomer turned to her, and Rayena recognized him to be the same man who had brought her to the palace. Second Commander, Salt and Pepper had called him. His own eyes were gleaming with fury as his beast rose to the surface.

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND!!!?" he yelled, his loud voice echoing in the woods, more animal than male. Rayena flinched like she had been slapped. Tears clouded her eyes. "Do you have a death wish!? Weren’t you warned never to wander to the main palace under any circumstances!?"

Rayena didn’t know what to say and, rattled by the recent incidents, burst into tears. "I’m... sorry..." she choked out, lowering her head, her body trembling violently. The adrenaline wore off and a dull pain started growing at her waist. She looked down and saw she was bleeding from the place where the wolf had clawed at her. Her sobbing grew louder.

The man watched her as she cried, then let out a hiss, mumbling something under his breath as he pulled off his cape and used it to wrap her bare body. Lifting her up, he began carrying her out of the woods, back to the harem.

"This will teach you a lesson," he murmured under his breath, his eyes still brimming with anger. Rayena sniffed, still feeling embarrassed. As they approached the building, Rayena saw that a group of women had gathered. Perhaps they had heard the commotion. Rayena whimpered, trying to hide herself from view.

He walked into the harem and a voice broke out. "Rayena, is that you? What happened?" It was Soraya. Someone broke through the crowd, rushing towards her, concern etched her face. Rayena briefly met her eyes before looking away, ashamed.

"Where is your room?" Second Commander asked in a brusque tone. Soraya spoke up for her.

"This way, please..." She offered, leading them forward. The Second Commander followed Soraya till they arrive at Rayena's room and he set her down on one of the couches.

"Thank you... " Rayena mumble, her voice already hoarse. He was about to speak when a figure entered her room. It was Lady Ysolde.

"What happened? I heard some commotion a while ago." She said, walking towards them. Second Commander narrowed his eyes slightly.

"It's nothing. You shouldn't concern yourself with it." He muttered, keeping his tone respectful.

"But, she reeks of blood. Did she get hurt? Was she attacked?" Ysolde pressed on.

"There was a situation but we have everything under control, Lady Ysolde. Someone please call a healer for her wounds." He then turned to Rayena. "You are to stay here. Under no circle should you venture into the main palace. Do you understand."

"Yes... Sir." Rayena mumbled, her head still lowered. Giving everyone a respectful bow, he strode out of the room in hurried steps. Lady Ysolde turned to Rayena them.

"You ventured into the main palace!?" She sounded shocked.

"I wanted to go on a walk, I had no idea a wolf would attack me. " Rayena protested weakly. Lady Ysolde didn't sound pleased.

"Were you not informed that no one is allowed into the main palace? Do you know you can put the rest of us into trouble?!"

"I thought I told you not to go anywhere? Now see what you've gotten yourself into.. "

"I didn't... I'm sorry" Rayena whispered, feeling faint. Her wounds were still bleeding.

"I'll call on the healer. Wait here." Soraya said and rushed out of the room.

"Please, don't do that again. You might not be so lucky next time." Lady Ysolde said, before quietly exiting the room, leaving her alone once more.

Now alone, Rayena allowed the weight of what had just happened crash against her and she began crying anew.

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Morvan returned to the palace, where a soldier immediately hurried to him, the atmosphere tense. "Where is he?" he growled under his breath, quickening his pace.

"We've taken him to one of the underground rooms, Your Grace," the soldier responded.

"What about Ladrian? Is he here already?"

"Yes. I left him in the underground rooms. He is waiting for you," the soldier added with a firm expression. Mavron swallowed, his expression going grim as he took the winding corridors that led to the underground chambers.

Torches flickered ominously by the walls, and the King's growls and howls reverberated through the hollow space, grating at Morvan's nerves. He approached the reinforced steel door, spotting Ladrian standing by a corner, a weary expression on his face.

"How is he?" Morvan asked as he closed the distance between them. Ladrian let out a sigh, peeking through the tiny opening in the door.

"Unstable. He keeps shifting from his full wolf form to half-changed. He won't stop pumping out pheromones as well. We already had him chained up, but with the way he's struggling, I do not trust the integrity of those chains."

Morvan sighed, remembering the last time the king had broken free. It had taken several soldiers, including him, to hold him down and not without suffering grave injuries. "Aren't they laced with wolfsbane? The chains, I mean?"

"They are... and several other weakening potions, including liquid silver, and it's still not enough."

Morvan peeked through the tiny window, watching as the king growled and snapped at nothing, his dark fur already smeared with blood, the floor littered with poisoned darts. He checked the hinges on the walls. They looked like they were about to fall out.

The dark concern brewing in his heart only worsened.

"What's really wrong with him?" he asked, still looking at the king.

He's having one of his erratic ruts as usual—but this time it triggered a shift. The suppressants must not have worked." Ladrian rubbed his face with both hands, grimacing. "Do we wait it out, or bring a woman to him? He’s out of his mind right now."

"No," Morvan said firmly. "If he recovers and learns we brought a woman, he won’t forgive us. He has to ride it out."

"This is becoming troublesome," Ladrian muttered, wincing as another pained roar echoed through the corridor, sending a chill down both their spines. "And it’s not even a full moon yet.

Morvan swallowed,stretching to his full height. "I'll keep guard until it passes. Deliver more suppressants just in case and start working on a new formula," Mavron instructed.

"Will do so, Your Grace. Excuse me." Ladrian bowed and walked away. Morvan continued to watch the king, the terror in his chest threatening to overwhelm him. He was already foaming at the mouth, repeatedly throwing himself to the ground, pitiful whimpers echoing in the desolate space.

The edges of Morvan's eyes began to burn and he clenched his jaw, suppressing the traitorous emotions swelling in him. Closing back the opening, he rested his head on the steel doors, fishing his hands.

Why does the king keep doing this to himself?

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King Xenon blinked his heavy eyes open, groaning as the smell of blood assaulted his nose. Waiting for his hazy vision to clear, he realized he was in a room devoid of any windows, furnishings, or light.

An underground room.

He closed his eyes, letting out a breath. He must have lost control again. When he tried to move, he realized his wrists and legs had been bound with chains. His entire body was littered with wounds that would take a while to heal. He sat up, still surveying his naked body before speaking up.

"I'm awake. Get me out of this place," he growled, his voice scratchy.

He heard the sounds of bolts unlocking, and finally the huge door creaked open, Mavron entering with a blanket in his hands.

"Good afternoon, Your Majesty..." he murmured in a low voice, loosening the chains that bound him. Xenon rubbed his wrists and ankles, massaging the stiff muscles before picking up the blanket and throwing it over his body. Ignoring the aches in his body, he rose to his feet.

"How do you feel?" Mavron asked, looking him over.

"My body has seen better days," Xenon mumbled with a shrug. "What happened?"

Morvan's eyes widened ever so slightly. "You don't remember?"

"Other than the fact that I was foaming at the mouth trying to resist a shift, no." Xenon glanced at Morvan. "Did something bad happen? Didn't you get to me on time?"

Morvan's breath hitched but he spoke. "We couldn't find you on time," he muttered. "When we arrived, you were already on top of a woman."

Xenon froze, his eyes going round, dread settling in his gut.

"Fortunately, nothing had happened when we arrived. We managed to pry you off. She lives."

Xenon sighed at that. "That's a relief. You did good," he muttered and started walking away, but Mavron—

"Your episodes are getting worse, Your Majesty. This time, more people witnessed it. They are bound to start talking about it."

"They don't know it's me," he groaned.

"You can't keep resisting your instincts, Your Majesty," Morvan ground out, his eyes flashing as his beast skirted to the surface.

"Well, I want to," Xenon muttered in a bored tone.

"You'll harm yourself if you keep this up. Worse, you'll go mad. Do you want to become one of the Feral Ones?"

Xenon didn't answer, only looked ahead. Morvan's eyes sharpened, hurt hiding in his irises. "Is that what you're planning on doing?"

His bravado faltered and he clung to the king. "Your Majesty, please. If anything happens to you, we the weretigers are doomed. Don't do this."

Xenon noticed the tears glistening in Morvan’s eyes and his anger softened, a sigh escaping his lips. He and Morvan went back a long way. Morvan had once been a slave, enduring the harshest of treatments under the werewolves. Everyone believed the king to be a weretiger—he had shifted into his tiger form first—and if he fell, the weretigers would once again be forced into that same life. For their sake, he couldn’t afford to lose his mind.

"I won't go feral. No need to be so agitated," Xenon groaned, his voice coated in promise.

Morvan stepped back, blinking away the tears in his eyes. The cool seriousness Xenon was familiar with settled. "Then do something about this."