All Chapters of MATERD TO THE SON OF THE DEMON KING: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Timothee's POVI stood there staring at the empty bed, my heart hammering harder than it had all day.The phone sat untouched on the table, the curtain shifting in the draft from the cracked window. Every instinct in me screamed that something was wrong, that Kaelen had already found a way to reach her, that all my warnings from Aunt Raven had come a few minutes too late."Mercy," I said, my voice louder now, useless since the room was clearly empty.I turned and bolted back into the hallway, my mind spinning through every terrible possibility at once. I reached for the bond instinctively, trying to feel for her the way I always could when something was wrong.There was no pain. No panic pulling at my chest. Just warmth, steady and calm.That confused me more than fear would have. If something bad was happening, I should have felt it by now.I followed the pull anyway, down the corridor, past the portraits with their cold, watching eyes, down a narrower staircase that led toward the g

Timothee's POVI reached for her hand without thinking, needing to steady her as much as myself."We'll figure something out," I said. "You don't have to be there tomorrow night.""Won't people ask questions if I'm suddenly missing?""I'll say you're tired from the journey. Nobody questions that.""Kaelen will.""Kaelen questions everything," I said. "That doesn't mean he gets answers."She let out a shaky breath, glancing back toward the palace where his shadow had disappeared minutes ago."I don't like this," she admitted. "Being hidden away is something shameful.""You're not shameful," I said firmly. "You're the only reason I'm still alive. If anyone in that room has a problem with that, they can take it up with me.""That's easy to say until we're actually standing in a room full of nobles who hate werewolves on principle.""I know."We started walking back toward the palace slowly, the garden path quiet except for the distant sound of the fountain."Timothee," she said. "Is ther

Mercy's POVAunt Raven arrived at my door before I'd even finished pinning my hair, then she brought in a garment bag draped over one arm and an expression that made it clear she wasn't here for pleasantries."You'll wear this tonight," she said, laying the bag across the bed and unzipping it to reveal a deep green gown, simple but clearly expensive, nothing like anything I owned back home."It's beautiful," I said, running my fingers over the fabric."It's practical," she corrected. "The color complements your coloring without drawing unnecessary attention. You need to blend, not stand out.""Understood," I said.She studied me for a long moment, the same assessing look she'd given me at the gates the day I arrived."Do you understand what tonight actually is?" she asked."A gathering. A health check for Timothee, in front of the court.""It's more than that," she said. "It's a performance. Every person in that room will be watching for weakness, in him, in the family, in anything th

Timothee's POVThe private chamber was smaller than I remembered, warm light from a single chandelier, my father already seated near the fireplace, Aunt Raven standing beside him with a folder of notes in her hands."Sit," my father said, gesturing toward the chair across from him.I sat."Lady Raven tells me your progress has been unusually fast," he said, studying me the way he always did, like he was reading something written across my face that only he could see."That's what she told me too.""Faster than either of the previous candidates," Aunt Raven confirmed, opening her folder. "At this rate, full recovery is likely within a matter of weeks."My father's expression stayed even, though something in his posture eased slightly."That's good news," he said."It is.""And the girl outside," he said. "The one you brought with you tonight. Northern valley, was it?""Yes.""Good family, from what little I know of that region," he said. "Lady Raven vouched for the arrangement, so I sa

Timothee's POVI kept my eyes on the crowd for the rest of the evening, waiting for whatever Kaelen was planning to reveal itself.It never did, not directly. He simply stayed visible, charming, laughing with nobles who mattered, occasionally glancing our way with that same unreadable smile stretched across his face like nothing in the world troubled him.I watched him work the room the way other people breathed, effortless, practiced, every handshake timed perfectly, every laugh landing exactly when it should. It made my skin crawl more than any outright threat could have.By the time the gathering finally began winding down, my patience had worn thin from watching him without any clear target to focus it on."You're tense," Mercy said as we walked the quiet corridor back toward the guest wing, her heels echoing softly against the stone floor."He's playing some kind of long game," I said. "I just don't know what it is yet.""Maybe he's not playing anything," she offered. "Maybe he a