[{"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-239":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},1732270,2214,"Chapter 239 Beta Turns Traitor","marked-by-the-mad-king-alpha-chapter-239",239,"\u003Cp>Phoebe’s POV\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had no clue how to find the pack house, but fortunately, my tiny furry companion knew the way. The small pup guided me forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It struck me as incredible that this little creature understood how to lead me to safety. I followed my gut feeling that the pup would bring me back to its family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what I discovered was the pack house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re incredible!\" I exclaimed with joy, scooping up the pup and pressing kisses to its face. I held it close against my chest and hurried toward the pack house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luckily, I avoided any encounters with Valerium warriors, though I did run into some of Wallace’s men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My queen!?\" Three of them rushed toward me immediately, but I stayed on high alert. Knowing there was a betrayer among Wallace’s warriors, I couldn’t afford to trust them blindly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My queen, there’s no need for fear. We’re loyal to you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One warrior attempted to get closer, but I refused to let my guard down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Where is the king?\" I demanded, maintaining distance between us. Each time they stepped forward, I retreated several paces, forcing them to hold their position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The king is inside,\" they explained. \"He’s been frantic about your disappearance. Please, come with us. We’ll bring you to him. He’s been crushed learning about your kidnapping.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I remained silent for quite some time, uncertain about my next move. It would be devastating if I got captured after fighting so hard to escape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eventually though...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Take me to the king. You go first.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three warriors visibly relaxed at my decision. They began leading the way toward the pack house, but I refused to close the gap between us.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I kept a significant distance from the warriors. This positioning would help if I needed to flee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Noticing how extremely wary I was of their presence, the three warriors wisely understood and gave me space. They moved closer to the pack house and encountered other warriors on patrol duty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s the queen!\" All of them appeared relieved to see me, but when they started approaching, the three warriors cautioned them to back off and maintain distance too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, they grasped why I was behaving this way and continued escorting me back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The truth about the king having left to meet with the Valerium wasn’t common knowledge among the other warriors. Only a select few important individuals knew that the king wasn’t at the pack house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So when I requested to see Perry, they immediately brought me inside, assuming the king was still there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because of this, I believed I hadn’t arrived too late. I would finally see Perry again. How much time had passed since I last laid eyes on him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, before I could locate Perry, we encountered Wallace’s beta, Marco.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My queen, you’re here? They actually found you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked stunned, his eyes wide with surprise. He then moved toward me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this situation, the other warriors couldn’t caution the beta since he outranked them. Besides, I wasn’t as frightened of him as I had been with them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t retreat when Marco approached. I felt relieved because I figured there was no possibility the beta would betray his alpha.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It made sense if regular warriors turned traitor - it happened frequently - but someone with higher rank wasn’t as easily corrupted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At least, that’s what I believed. Also, I had witnessed the dynamic between Wallace and Marco. The two seemed quite close, and this beta hadn’t displayed any behavior that made me doubt him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My queen, how did you manage to escape?\" Marco examined me, relief washing over his face when he saw I was unharmed. I looked perfectly fine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Where is Perry?\" I still couldn’t feel entirely secure until I saw him. The little pup in my arms squirmed, whimpering softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stroked the little one to soothe it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Come here. I’ll bring you to the king. The king is in the middle of crucial discussions to rescue you. He got a message to come retrieve you from the enemy.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marco dismissed the other warriors, sending them away. Now only the two of us walked toward the war room where the king, the alpha, and the elders were meeting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On my end, I felt relieved that I wasn’t too late. Elder Augustus must have informed Perry about my kidnapping, even though the enemy never actually had me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is Elder Augustus there?\" I asked Marco, who walked beside me. He dismissed any warriors we encountered, instructing them to go to the gates and stand guard there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, he’s there,\" Marco answered, but then he frowned. \"What’s wrong, my queen? You seem troubled.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I thought about this for a moment, then decided to tell him. \"Elder Augustus is a traitor. He’s working with the Valerium warriors! He planned to make them believe they had kidnapped me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marco stopped walking. \"Please, say that again slowly. I don’t understand.\" He struggled to read my lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since I was too worked up, I had forgotten that not everyone could read lips as quickly as Perry could. I repeated my words more slowly, though I grew impatient with our delay. I desperately wanted to see Perry immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So Elder Augustus is the traitor? He’s collaborating with the Valerium?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I nodded, tugging his sleeve impatiently to signal him to keep walking. Instead, Marco seized my hand and shoved me into an empty bedroom behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The little pup tumbled from my arms to the floor, letting out a pitiful whimper. My back slammed against the wall, pain shooting through me instantly. Marco then wrapped his fingers around my throat, choking me.\u003C\u002Fp>",940,"2026-06-06T16:11:22.572Z",1,"novelbin.me","7bc860e65e095ad418081332e939b376f14fd26173a6aa35442c0c9869124ce8","marked-by-the-mad-king-alpha-chapter-240","marked-by-the-mad-king-alpha-chapter-238",302,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fmarked-by-the-mad-king-alpha-cover.jpg"]