Chapter 6

News of the wolf attack spread far and wide amongst inhabitants of the palace, particularly in the harem where all the women lived. It was all they talked about these past few days. Apparently, it was the first time something of this nature had occurred in the palace, and now everyone was alarmed.

"What could have caused a wolf to get into the palace and after a woman? Did a Feral One make its way into the palace?" a lady asked, turning to her companion as they sat together in a group, having a tea party in the gardens, underneath the shade of trees. Lady Ysolde sat at the edge of the table, quietly sipping her tea, listening while everyone else conversed.

"Maybe one did. But that doesn't make any sense. There are so many guards on the palace grounds. How did a Feral One evade all of them to get to where we are? It should have been impossible."

"Perhaps they were lax that night," another chirped in, twirling her hair as she glanced about. "That's why they didn't notice immediately." Then, she turned to Lady Ysolde, gaze expectant. "Or what do you think, my lady? Should we be concerned?"

Ysolde slowly set her cup down, sweeping her gaze through the gathering of women before her. "Your suggestions are valid, and you all are right. The happenings of the last three days are indeed a cause for concern. However, we should be thankful that the beast was caught in time before it caused serious harm. We thank the moon goddess for that."

A number of them nodded, agreeing with the words she had spoken. Lady Ysolde felt a sense of pride, seeing she still held the power to persuade the women in front of her. Schooling her features, she continued speaking, her speech dignified. "I trust that the King's men will ensure no harm comes to us, and we should also ensure we don't go about breaking rules as well, so we don't fall victim."

"You're absolutely right, Lady Ysolde. The King's men are indeed competent. Things wouldn't have gotten so bad if the newcomer hadn't broken the rules and tried to sneak into the main palace."

"That's true..." another seconded, and the chatter began yet again. Lady Ysolde ignored them all, lost in her thoughts. She did have her suspicions about who the wolf might be, but she didn't dare say it out loud. She still needed to confirm it first. I'll do so later, when I have the chance, she thought to herself as she continued sipping her tea.

On the other hand, Rayena stayed confined to her room, still healing from the wounds she had sustained that night. Soraya was the only constant throughout her recuperation, and it seemed she was fast becoming a friend. She was still the only one who seemed genuine out of the other women who had come visiting to check up on her.

"People are speculating the wolf that attacked you was a Feral that sneaked into the palace and targeted you. Such a thing has never happened before," Soraya spoke, sitting close to Rayena, who was propped up on the bed. Rayena peered at her, brows furrowed.

"A Feral? What's that?"

"We usually call them Feral Ones. They are shifters who are stuck in their beast forms and unable to revert back. Most of them are werewolves and are ruled completely by their instincts, which is to hunt, kill, and mate."

Rayena was baffled by this. It was her first time hearing about Feral Ones, but when she thought about that night, she surmised it was the case. The wolf had tried to mount her once it tackled her to the ground. She shuddered to think what would have happened to her if it had succeeded.

I'm glad it didn't get to that point.

"Has the wolf been taken care of now?" Rayena asked quietly.

"Well, yes. A guard came to give us a report that they caught the wolf and killed it. There won't be a repeat of that night anymore."

Rayena let out a sigh of relief at that, curling her fingers into a fist. She knew she wouldn't forget that night in a hurry. Not until the day she died. A knock came on the door, interrupting her thoughts, and she asked for whoever was behind it to come in. It was the maids, and it seemed they had come to deliver her lunch.

"Oh... Your food is here. Please, go on so you can use your medicines and rest. How are your wounds, by the way?" Soraya asked as she stood to her feet.

"It's healing fine, although I think it might leave a scar," she revealed, motioning to the maids where to place her meal.

Soraya gave her a small smile. "I'm sorry about that."

Rayena shrugged. "I can bear to live with it. One thing is for sure, I am no longer interested in the main palace anymore." She didn't even think she was interested in seeing the king anymore. She glanced up to see Soraya smiling down at her.

"What?" she asked, confused.

"It would be lovely if you stuck with that statement," she said.

"Oh, believe me, I will." Her voice was resolute.

"Then, good luck with that."

"Thank you."

.

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It had been three days since King Xenon's last episode, and now he was getting restless again, his wolf seething to be let out and his repressed sexual urges rearing their ugly head once more, a terrible headache assaulting his skull. Sweat beaded his forehead, his chest rising and falling with uneven breaths, the steady thrum of his pulse pounding loud enough that it hurt. A growl vibrated in his throat before he caught it, swallowing it back down and he moved around on his seat, clenching his jaw in frustration.

Even his tiger, that used to share in the discomfort plaguing him, seemed to have retreated to the back of his mind, leaving him alone in this torment. The suppressants Ladrian had delivered were definitely not working, but it would take a while before he came up with another potion that could.

Morvan stood in the corner of the room, arms folded, his ever-vigilant gaze on him. When Xenon struck his chest for the umpteenth time in the past hour, he snapped.

"You can't keep living like this, your majesty," he growled, eyes flashing as his beast inched to the surface. "You need to sate yourself. You're reaching your breaking point."

Xenon looked up from the scroll he was struggling to read, his face a perfect mask of icy indifference, despite the storm raging within him. "Need I remind you of what happens whenever I mount a female?"

Morvan’s jaw tightened, lips pressed into a thin line.

When Morvan didn't respond, he offered to answer. "My tiger gets disgusted, takes over, and kills the woman, sometimes while I'm inside them." He let the words hang, drawing out the air in the room "I can't keep waking up to the corpses of women beneath me. It's not a pleasant experience."

Besides, he'd never achieved true satisfaction from the act. It would take him hours of relentless sex with multiple women to relieve some of the pressure, and that barely scratched the itch, leaving him always craving more.

Still, Morvan pressed.

"It's better to have this all happen in a controlled environment than have a repeat of what happened three nights ago. We can't keep blaming such incidents on Feral Ones. We all know there are no Feral Ones within the vicinity of the palace. It's only a matter of time before people put two and two together."

Xenon sighed as he dragged his hands down his face. The headache throbbed sharper, splitting through his skull. No doubt, there was some sense in Morvan's argument, but they'd been down that road multiple times, and it never ended well.

"Fine," Xenon groaned, glaring at Morvan. "You win. Prepare me some ladies from the harem. And I need a run before I lose my mind."

A flicker of relief crossed Morvan's eyes, a corner of his lip twitching upward, but he soon sobered up. "Wolf or Tiger?"

Xenon’s eyes flashed golden, a growl ripping from his lips. "Wolf. It needs to let off some steam. Make sure no one is following after us," he murmured, rolling back the scroll in his hands.

Morvan bowed deeply. "As you command, your majesty."