[{"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-164":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},1732045,2214,"Chapter 164 A Truth That Shatters","marked-by-the-mad-king-alpha-chapter-164",164,"\u003Cp>\"You’ve secured what you were after. Now deliver what I’m owed,\" Reginald declared to the royal beta Allen that afternoon, fresh from spending time with his mate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fiona had become a complete disaster. The tears never stopped flowing. She refused food, rejected sleep, and devoted every waking moment to sobbing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reginald found himself reluctant to return to his chambers now. Her constant wailing disrupted his rest and sleep schedule, forcing him to waste time consoling her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d struck her face the previous day when she’d screamed at him directly—and it worked. The yelling ceased, leaving only her relentless weeping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Absolutely. I never break my agreements. No need for concern on that front.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Good. What’s the timeline?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Allen considered this briefly. \"Seven days.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Perfect.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reginald’s smile reflected his complete satisfaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"One more thing—could I borrow your mate again? It would really help things go smoother. She performed exceptionally.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Allen flashed him a lustful grin. \"A bit rigid at first, but once we got her warmed up, she was absolutely incredible.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>**Perry’s POV**\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sleep had eluded me entirely. I remained awake, waiting for Phoebe to stir, and when she finally did, I found myself wishing she could rest longer—gathering strength before I shattered her world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Phoebe’s eyes fluttered open, immediately recalling my promise from the night before. I had something to tell her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her hands reached up, framing my face, her gaze asking the question her lips couldn’t form.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’ll explain everything, but you must understand—regardless of what happened, you’re the only one I want.\" I pressed my lips to her palms as Phoebe nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her agreement came so easily. She’d been desperate to understand what had been tormenting me all this time, completely unaware of how completely the news would devastate her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Throughout the endless night, I’d searched for the perfect approach, the gentlest way to deliver this blow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But despite every attempt, the right words remained elusive. How could they exist? Even the most beautiful poetry couldn’t shield her from this heartbreak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How do you feel about adopting a child?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I needed to test her reaction first. Confusion creased Phoebe’s brow. ’Why?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Just tell me your thoughts.\" I refused to elaborate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, Phoebe’s heart hammered violently. Something deep inside seemed to recognize what was coming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Tell me.’ Her fingers traced my cheeks, maintaining a calm facade while a tempest built within her, ready to detonate. ’Tell me.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’ll never be able to carry a child, Phoebe. Not without risking your life.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She already knew. From the very beginning, when Marcela had acted so strangely about her request to learn fertility potions from the healer. The knowledge had been there all along.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Phoebe, don’t torture yourself with this. Don’t let it consume you. I don’t care about some imaginary child that doesn’t exist. I don’t want it. I only want you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I told her not to worry about children, yet here I was—the issue had plagued me for days, making me distant and cold toward her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could I ask her not to worry when it was already destroying me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’That’s why you’ve been avoiding me?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No!\" I snarled. This was exactly what I’d feared. She was misunderstanding everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Please, just leave me alone...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Phoebe moved with lightning speed. She bolted from the bed and fled to the bathroom, locking herself inside while I pounded on the door from outside, demanding she emerge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But how could she face me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She would never have a child?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Devastated couldn’t begin to describe what Phoebe was experiencing. She felt transported back to that dark place where hope didn’t exist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Phoebe, come out. We need to talk.\" I hammered the door relentlessly. \"Come out now, or I’m tearing this door apart.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That wasn’t a threat—it was a promise. I would do exactly that. My voice remained eerily calm and controlled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We have to discuss this.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What more was there to say? Phoebe needed time to process her thoughts and sort through her emotions, but I wouldn’t allow it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silence stretched between us. Everything went completely quiet, but in the next instant, the door exploded from a devastating kick, hanging uselessly from its hinges.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stood there, fury blazing in my eyes. For a brief moment, Phoebe glimpsed the Mad King lurking within me, but when I approached and pulled her into my arms, she knew she was protected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don’t run from me. Never flee from me like that, and don’t hide your pain. I wasn’t upset about the news—I was upset because I knew it would hurt you. And it does hurt you. I considered keeping it secret, but I knew you’d hate me even more for that.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wasn’t wrong to think that way. No matter how excruciating the truth was, Phoebe would always choose it over lies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, that didn’t make it hurt any less.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eventually, Phoebe couldn’t contain it anymore. She sobbed violently against my chest while I held her with crushing intensity, trying to prevent her from completely falling apart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I love you, Phoebe. I don’t care about children. I only want to spend every remaining breath with you beside me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My words provided some comfort, but she couldn’t stop thinking: How would we solve this problem?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was only the beginning of disaster once people discovered her condition.\u003C\u002Fp>",879,"2026-06-06T16:11:22.572Z",1,"novelbin.me","347e761cadb24af8457dd6a4714b531168e291a743f3e9dcad73d9c787c90176","marked-by-the-mad-king-alpha-chapter-165","marked-by-the-mad-king-alpha-chapter-163",302,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fmarked-by-the-mad-king-alpha-cover.jpg"]