Marked By The Mad King Alpha (Phoebe and Perry) novel Chapter 108

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Chapter 108: A Poisoned Kiss

Perry’s Perspective

“How is she?” I asked quietly, waiting for Marcela to finish her thorough examination of Phoebe. I couldn’t bring myself to leave the room, so I leaned heavily against the cold wall, shutting my eyes in an attempt to find some semblance of calm. Sleep had been a stranger to me for weeks now, slipping further and further out of reach.

“She’s resting now,” Marcela replied, her voice heavy with fatigue. “I had to add a sedative to her medication. She was too restless, and the more anxious she got, the tighter her muscles became. It was only making her worse.”

I opened my eyes and fixed her with a sharp look. “Why is her healing so slow? It’s like she’s human or something.” My tone was harsh, frustration bubbling just beneath the surface. Marcela flinched and quickly looked away, clearly uncomfortable under my gaze.

Then her voice dropped to a whisper, trembling with fear. “I just found something.”

“Tell me.”

“There’s poison in her system. A small amount, but it’s definitely there. That’s why her recovery is so delayed. The poison…” She swallowed hard, struggling to keep her composure. “It’s the same one she gave you, my king.”

I felt a chill run down my spine as she spoke, knowing full well how sensitive this subject was for me.

“The same poison?” I narrowed my eyes, anger flaring to life inside me. “Someone’s been poisoning her too?” The rage surged, almost suffocating, radiating off me like heat.

Marcela trembled, even though she wasn’t a shifter and couldn’t feel the pack bond. Fear was universal, and it clung to her like a shadow.

“No, I don’t think it was intentional,” she hurried to clarify. “I believe she came into contact with it accidentally. Maybe she touched the poison and then handled food without washing her hands. The amount is tiny—I wouldn’t have detected it if I hadn’t looked so closely. This poison works slowly.”

She finally met my eyes, her own wide with concern. “My king, should I examine you? You ingested a significant amount of that slow-acting poison.”

“No need.” I knew my body better than anyone. Slow-acting poisons were useless against me. My father had tried poisoning me several times before, and I’d survived every attempt. It was a cruel kind of immunity, built out of necessity.

Now it made sense why they’d increased the dosage in their latest attempt—an effort that ultimately backfired when Helen caught Mason’s scent.

“Helen detected the poison on Mason by smell. What does it smell like?” I asked, curiosity mixed with anger. If a healer could identify it by scent, other shifters could too—though they probably lacked the knowledge to realize what they were detecting.

Marcela paused, searching for the right comparison. “Mint. The base ingredient is mint. When they concentrated the dosage, the scent became stronger.”

“Mint?” The pieces finally clicked together, and fury exploded inside me. “Fuck!”

Startled, Marcela stumbled back instinctively, putting distance between us. She was terrified but didn’t dare run without my permission, afraid of making me angrier.