[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-marked-by-the-mad-king-alpha":3,"chapter-marked-by-the-mad-king-alpha-marked-by-the-mad-king-alpha-chapter-154":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Marked By The Mad King Alpha",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1732035,2214,"Chapter 154 A Familiar Intruder","marked-by-the-mad-king-alpha-chapter-154",154,"\u003Cp>Phoebe’s POV\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sleep wouldn’t come. That’s how I knew the instant someone slipped into my bedroom—but the corridor outside stayed eerily silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two guards stood watch at my door. If an intruder had forced their way to me, I’d have heard the clash of steel, the sound of a struggle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The silence left only two possibilities racing through my mind: either the guards recognized whoever had entered, or...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were one of the surviving Movement members—those who’d burrowed so deep into the palace that even the king’s bloody purge had missed them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t bear to consider the second option. It was too terrifying. Because it meant this person had come to kill me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My mind was spiraling, but I couldn’t stop it. Not after everything I’d endured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without hesitation, I rolled out of bed, snatched the fruit knife from my nightstand, and dove underneath. I curled into the smallest ball possible, wishing I could simply vanish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just in time. Footsteps entered my sleeping area and paused—probably because the bed was empty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shoes were definitely a man’s. I watched them move toward my bed, my heart hammering against my ribs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My fingers wrapped around the knife handle until my knuckles went white. I had no idea how to fight, but with a weapon, maybe I could make it to the door and scream for help.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Please don’t find me. Please don’t find me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I pressed my palm over my mouth to muffle any sound, even though it had been forever since I’d heard my own voice anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he stopped right beside the bed. My heart nearly stopped when he crouched down and peered underneath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was it. I had to strike first—it was my only shot. I gripped the knife tighter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When his head lowered to look at me, I swung.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I missed. Instead, his hand caught my wrist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Phoebe, it’s me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice sounded familiar, but panic clouded my brain. I kept fighting to break free until he effortlessly pulled me out from under the bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s me. It’s me. You’re safe, you’re fine.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stopped struggling when Perry’s face came into focus. A thin line of blood marked his cheek where my knife had grazed him, though the wound was already healing, leaving only a crimson stain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s me. Perry.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My breathing came in sharp gasps as the knife fell slack in my grip. I stared at him like he was a ghost I couldn’t quite believe in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pressed his lips to my forehead, grounding me. \"I came a day early. It’s me. You’re fine.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only when that familiar electric spark shot through me at his touch did reality finally crash back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I dropped the knife and threw my arms around him, holding on like he might disappear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tears streamed down my face while he wrapped me up, his hand stroking my back in soothing circles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m sorry. I wanted to surprise you, but not like this,\" he murmured against my hair, pressing my face to his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d expected happy tears, not terror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Seems I made you cry again.\" He kissed the top of my head, and I pulled back to look at him with confusion. \"I left them to handle the aftermath so I could get back to you sooner. Turns out I outdid myself—I’m two days early.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The distance from Obsidian Claw pack to the central city was half a day’s journey. But Perry had done it in seven hours, running without a single stop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He chuckled at my shocked expression. I couldn’t wrap my head around that kind of speed, but then again, this was the king we were talking about.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t even imagine how fast he’d been in his beast form.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blood on his cheek caught my attention. Frowning, I wiped it away with my thumb, the wound already completely healed. I gave him an apologetic look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don’t worry about this.\" He leaned down to kiss me. \"This isn’t the first time you’ve tried to kill me, after all. I’m getting used to it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t believe he was joking about it, but I couldn’t find it in myself to be angry either. So I just smacked his chest in annoyance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Come on, I’m exhausted. I need some rest.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t felt it before, but now with me safe in his arms, back in this bedroom, the exhaustion hit him like a wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stood and lifted me onto the bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perry curled against me, his head on my chest while I ran my fingers through his hair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He definitely needed a haircut.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within minutes, he was out cold. Completely drained. He’d shut out everything except my scent, focused only on the fact that I was safe in his arms. Nothing else mattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When morning came, I woke to find him still dead to the world. His face was buried in the crook of my neck, arms and legs wrapped around me like I was his personal body pillow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even unconscious, he was possessive as hell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He reminded me of an octopus. I tried to untangle myself but gave up quickly—I’d just have to wait for him to wake up.\u003C\u002Fp>",863,"2026-06-06T16:11:22.572Z",1,"novelbin.me","ddc617568c33ea41b251bf300dff46237a16d57e23e4ae724ee22d507138d4c6","marked-by-the-mad-king-alpha-chapter-155","marked-by-the-mad-king-alpha-chapter-153",302,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fmarked-by-the-mad-king-alpha-cover.jpg"]