[{"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-77":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},1732225,2214,"Chapter 77 When A Monster Believes","marked-by-the-mad-king-alpha-chapter-77",77,"\u003Cp>Phoebe’s POV\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What do you mean you’re going to handle this?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stared at Reginald with growing suspicion, unable to read the thoughts behind his stoic expression. His silence sent waves of dread through me as I tried to decode what he was planning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You don’t need to worry. You can leave now.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something twisted in my gut. Mason must have sensed it too—that suffocating feeling that something terrible was about to unfold. Though I had no proof to back up my fears, the certainty settled deep in my bones. \"You won’t do anything bad to her, right? She’s a good person.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Leave, Mason.\" Reginald’s voice turned sharp, cutting through the air with barely controlled impatience. \"Leave before someone spots us and we end up with bigger problems.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We stood tucked away in the corner of the warriors’ quarters—a spot hidden from casual view but awkward as hell if anyone actually looked our way. This wasn’t exactly a normal meeting place, unless you were trying to hide something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Okay, but please... don’t hurt her.\" The words tumbled out one last time before I hurried away, spooked by the dangerous look that flickered across Reginald’s face when I kept pushing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once Mason disappeared around the corner, Reginald’s mind turned to the healer. No way in hell was he letting her live.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment she remembered that scent from Mason, their entire operation would crumble. He couldn’t risk everything on a maybe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He rubbed his temples, muttering curses as he headed toward his room. Fucking extra work he didn’t need.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But time was running out. No guarantee the healer wouldn’t spill everything to the royal beta if she pieced it together first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Killing a healer was messy business. Killing a royal beta? That was a whole different nightmare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Phoebe’s POV\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The orphanage visit had filled me with pure joy, and I could tell Perry noticed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As we stepped outside, little Upton shuffled up to me, clutching the ball we’d played with earlier. His cheeks burned red as he thrust it toward me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thank you.\" I beamed at him, leaning down to plant a soft kiss on his forehead. He bolted away immediately—embarrassed but also intimidated when he caught sight of the king approaching with Alpha Phil and the other pack leaders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Happy?\" Perry appeared beside me, his eyes dropping to the ball in my hands. I caught him watching the sweet moment I’d shared with Upton.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes. I’m happy.\" The smile felt natural on my face, and Perry nodded in response.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back at the pack house, exhaustion hit me like a wall once we reached our bedroom. I carefully tucked the ball into my suitcase, making sure I wouldn’t forget it when we returned to the palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Will we visit the orphanage again?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do you want to visit again?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perry watched me pack the ball away. When happiness lit me up from within, it showed—especially in my eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Um, yes... if you can fit it into your schedule.\" The words came out hesitant, self-consciousness creeping in at his direct question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I can make room for it.\" His answer came without hesitation, no second-guessing. Once he said it, he meant it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The idea of disappointing me clearly didn’t sit right with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thank you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His hands cupped my face, and that familiar shyness washed over me again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You don’t need to thank me. Once we’re back, we’ll hold the ceremony to crown you queen.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d been putting this off indefinitely, unwilling to place me on the throne while I still carried thoughts of another man in my heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d also been uncertain how to navigate our relationship, but lately things had shifted. Our bond had strengthened, grown deeper. He wanted me ruling alongside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The queen ceremony?\" My eyes went wide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, you’re my mate. You should expect this. What?\" Something flickered in my expression that made his jaw tighten. \"What’s going through your head? You don’t want it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could feel his anger starting to build, though he fought to keep it contained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No, that’s not what I meant!\" I rushed to explain before he misread my reaction again. \"I thought...\" My gaze dropped, unable to meet his eyes. \"I thought you would only use me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Use you?\" His eyes narrowed as his thumbs traced my cheekbones. \"What do you mean?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tell him. Tell him. Tell him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice in my head grew insistent, urging me to finally speak the truth. Now, when I felt safe enough around him to find my voice. When that suffocating dread that used to silence me had finally lifted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I...\" I bit my lip, the words wanting to come but still so hard to form. \"The rumors about me... they’re not true.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I swallowed hard, focusing on his neck instead of risking his expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perry stayed silent, hands still cradling my face, letting me speak at my own pace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I didn’t... I didn’t throw myself at him. He came to me... every night.\" The memories of what Kevin had done crashed over me, and I froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The overwhelming force of it all hit me like a tidal wave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I went somewhere else in my mind, not even noticing that the hands holding my face had started trembling. Perry was barely containing his rage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I never wanted him. I never wanted him... I rejected him the moment I knew he was my mate. I don’t want him.\" I shook my head as tears began falling. They landed warm on his hands. \"I didn’t want him to touch me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What about the rumors...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I forced myself to look up, meeting his gaze directly. \"They’re lies. I never wanted him to touch me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More tears spilled from my eyes as fear crept in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I recognized that look on his face—I’d seen it before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You don’t believe me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t a question. His lack of reaction told me everything I needed to know. My mind jumped straight to the worst possibility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I do.\" He pulled me against him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long ago, when he’d been trapped under his father’s cruelty, he’d stood exactly where I stood now. People had refused to believe him. Everyone chose his father’s version instead—the one that painted him as a monster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew what it felt like when nobody trusted you. In the end, he’d become the very monster his father had claimed he was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What a fucked up situation that had been.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I believe you.\" His voice came gentler this time, and I finally let myself cry.\u003C\u002Fp>",1083,"2026-06-06T16:11:22.572Z",1,"novelbin.me","b133372eae5e9ba674215780b317a286e3f26cca93bde675c13c7d6dd382e921","marked-by-the-mad-king-alpha-chapter-78","marked-by-the-mad-king-alpha-chapter-76",302,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fmarked-by-the-mad-king-alpha-cover.jpg"]