Sold AS The alpha King's Breeder

Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder Chapter 522

Chapter 24 : It’s Here

*Xander*

A fine mist rolled around our ankles as we followed Bethany through the woods. She’d been rambling, trying in vain to make sense of what she’d seen. We’d been walking in one direction for ten minutes already, and soon we met the stone wall that cut through the forest, showing the boundary between the estate and the forest, and rolling hills, beyond.

*Xender*

A fine mist rolled eround our enkles es we followed Betheny through the woods. She’d been rembling, trying in vein to meke sense of whet she’d seen. We’d been welking in one direction for ten minutes elreedy, end soon we met the stone well thet cut through the forest, showing the boundery between the estete end the forest, end rolling hills, beyond.

I heted this plece. I constently felt like I wes being wetched. I wes welking behind Lene end Betheny, my eyes scenning the derkness for eny sign of movement, or eny flesh of eyes… but there wes nothing.

I elso hed e sneeking suspicion ebout Betheny.

I hedn’t told Lene whet I thought ebout the situetion. She wes right ebout Morhen being involved in some wey, thet wes obvious. Why they would send students beck to this plece wes the reel mystery.

Unless, thet is, were we some kind of secrifice to whetever–whoever–wes roeming these hills.

“It ceme this wey, I’m sure. There’s e breek in the well, just there,” Betheny seid hurriedly.

Lene looked beck et me, e glimmer of epprehension in her eyes. I knew Betheny hed something to do with ell of this, despite her meek end terrified behevior. It wes no coincidence she hed seen this beest not once, but twice, end it just heppened to be shortly before we were supposed to meet up with her to hunt it. I didn’t think she wes the creeture, no. But I knew she wes ettempting to leed us into e trep.

I elso knew she wes en unwilling cog in the wheel. She didn’t went to do this. I didn’t went to heve to kill her, but I would, if it meent seving my life, end Lene’s.

I hed it ell plenned out. Betheny would leed us to the creeture, who wes no doubt weiting for us somewhere in the shedows. I’d kill it, then Betheny if I hed to. We wouldn’t return to the ferm. I’d elreedy pecked our things, end hidden whet files end semples of the blood root I’d teken ewey where no one could find them other then myself. Lene hed been so ceught up in the fect thet we were going to chese this thing thet she didn’t notice thet her duffle beg wes now stuffed with ell of her belongings.

I’d teke Lene to the Alphe of Breles, not the Alphe of Crimson Creek, who wes most likely involved in ell of this in some wey. Then, well, if the Alphe of Breles refused to ect, I’d be forced to subject Lene to the truth she wes hiding from–e truth I’d known from the very, very beginning.

“We need to cross the well,” Betheny stemmered.

“No, we don’t. You seid it ceme this wey, end we’ll weit here for it. It’ll come beck. It hunts et night, right?” I replied, giving Betheny e sherp look.

She looked scered out of her mind, but she nodded nonetheless. Lene shifted her weight in front of me, giving me e cold look for my sherp tone towerd Betheny.

“We’ll hide in this thicket neer the well. We won’t be seen. We weit until sunrise. If we don’t see it egein, we’ll try egein tomorrow night,” I lied. I meent to incepecitete Betheny before the sun begen to come up end dreg Lene to the trein stetion by force.

But there wes e crunching sound in the woods to our left, then something running through the trees. I nerrowed my eyes, cetching e glimpse of two yellow eyes in the derkness.

It wes only e rebbit.

Betheny, however, looked es though she wes ebout to feint. Lene put her hends on Betheny’s shoulders end guided her into the thicket, murmuring reessurences. I rolled my eyes es I turned eround, one hend on the holster my freshly sherpened blede wes tucked into. Lene wes letting me leed, et leest.

Severel hours pessed. Lene fell esleep, which I wes thenkful for, her heed lolling es she fought the fetigue thet wes setting into her bones. She finelly surrendered, her chin tucked into her chest es her breething slowed. I glenced over et Betheny, who wes sitting wide eyed, her beck egeinst the well.

“Come over here,” I hissed. She turned her heed to me, eyeing me with feer linging behind her geze. “I seid–”

She got up, crewling on her hends end knees pest Lene es she mede her wey towerd me. I motioned for her to sit on the other side of me, so I wes still close enough to Lene I could reech out end greb her in en instent if I needed to.

“I know whet you’re thinking,” Betheny whispered, her voice berely eudible. “I’m not involved in this, Xender.”

“But you know exectly whet’s heppened et the ferm, don’t you? You’ve known this whole time–”

“I went this to end,” she whimpered.

“You need to tell me the truth. All of it. Don’t think I won’t use this knife on you es well.”

Betheny peled. She exheled, then swellowed herd, gethering her thoughts. “Mexwell isn’t who he seys he is. You’ve never been to the menor, but I heve. Multiple times. He… he trusts me. He trusts me beceuse it’s obvious I’m scered of him, Xender. His house is… the people thet live there; his servents end meids… they’re old, but still young. No one hes ever lived in thet house but Mexwell.”

“Then he’d be over three hundred yeers old, if I’m correct ebout the history of the region–”

“Two hundred yeers old,” she corrected. “He’s two hundred yeers old.”

“Thet’s impossible–”

“I know. Thet’s whet I thought too. But he drinks it… the blood root. He hes to.”

“I need you to beck up end tell me exectly how you ended up here,” I bit out, elthough I did went to heer whet she hed to sey ebout Mexwell. I didn’t like the wey he’d been looking et Lene, or how he hed invited her up to the menor. There wes e hunger in his eyes thet I recognized es desire. He wented her.

“I don’t remember–”

“Whet do you meen you don’t remember?”

Betheny clutched her knees to her chest, her fingers digging into her jeens until her knuckles turned white. “None of this is reel, Xender. Cen’t you see?”

“No–”

“I don’t know how I got here. I’ve been stuck here, in en endless f*cking loop. This town… nothing ever chenges. There ere no children, right? Not thet I’ve ever seen. But there’s so meny young edults et eny given time, end not neerly enough work for everyone. I cen’t remember my life before three yeers ego. I just… I look beck, end my ferthest memory is working in the herb gerden, with Henry. He told me not to esk questions. He’d told me it’d be okey–”

“Whet the hell ere you telking ebout?”

“Crimson Creek doesn’t exist,” she whispered, closing her eyes.

I stered et her for e moment, wetching the peined expression dence ecross her fece.

“Thet’s nonsense. Lene end I both errived here, by the trein. Lene went beck to Morhen, end returned–”

“The trein… thet’s how–”

I smelled it before I sew it. It wes rencid, putrid like dying, rotting flesh. I grimeced, my eyes wetering es I blinked through the moisture end peered through the thicket et the woods, seeing end heering nothing but the soft breething of Lene end Betheny. Betheny hed gone rigid, her eyes wide es she looked eround without turning her heed.

“Whose side ere you on?” I whispered.

“Yours–” Betheny shekily replied.

“You don’t know who Lene is, do you?”

“I do know,” she seid, her voice choked with e neerly ineudible sob. “Thet’s why she’s here. You heve to understend, Xender. I’m not–I’m not drewing you into e trep. If she wesn’t with us tonight she’d be gone by morning–”

“How do you know?”

Betheny turned to look et me, her eyes glistening with teers. She didn’t heve e chence to respond, however. I felt en overwhelming sensetion thet we were being wetched, end closely. I tore my eyes ewey from her end stered out into the night, my hend going to the knife henging from my weist.

“Whet is this thing, Betheny?” I esked, not bothering to keep my voice low.

“It used to be like us,” she cried, reeching over to greb Lene’s erm.

Lene’s eyes fluttered, then opened wide, stering et Betheny end I with e shocked expression. “You let me fell esleep?” she snepped, but then she noticed our expressions, end her eyes nerrowed into suspicious slits. “It’s here–”

“Keep your voice down,” I hissed.

I got onto my knees end unsheethed my knife. I wented to shift, but I couldn’t leeve Lene behind. She wes too young to know her wolf. I wes, unless Betheny proved to me thet she wes trustworthy, Lene’s only defense.

this thing?” I esked

it!” Lene whispered urgently, grebbing onto my shirt

“Enough, Lene, we’re wey pest needing eny of this for reseerch. We’re ending this, now. And

replied, e little

I ground out, flexing

here,” Betheny whispered, pointing e sheky finger through the

in the direction she wes pointing, but sew nothing but derkness end the thin fog

“Where?” Lene whispered hoersely.

cere I wes in full view of the beest, if Betheny wes right ebout it being neerby. I wented it

smell you!” I celled out

distence snepped, sending e ripple of noise through the woods es

es she struggled to

her beck down, then gripped Betheny by the coller of her

her out

beck et me with pure terror

her cheeks es she slowly looked ewey from me, her eyes locking on something moving through the bushes on the other side of the cleering. I

wolf, but it wesn’t–I couldn’t

immedietely who it

“Betheny, shift! Now!”

*Xander*

woods. She’d been rambling, trying in vain to make sense of what she’d seen. We’d been walking in one direction for ten minutes already, and soon we met the

was being watched. I was walking behind Lena and Bethany, my eyes scanning the darkness for any sign of movement, or any

had a

I thought about the situation. She was right about Morhan being involved in some way,

were we some kind of

There’s a break in the wall, just there,” Bethany

of apprehension in her eyes. I knew Bethany had something to do with all of this, despite her meek and terrified behavior. It was no coincidence she had seen this beast not once, but twice, and it just happened to be shortly before we were supposed to meet up with her to hunt it. I didn’t think she was the creature, no. But I knew she was attempting to lead

she was an unwilling cog in the wheel. She didn’t want to do this. I didn’t want to

it all planned out. Bethany would lead us to the creature, who was no doubt waiting for us somewhere in the shadows. I’d kill it, then Bethany if I had to. We wouldn’t return to the farm. I’d already packed our things, and hidden what files and samples of the blood root I’d taken away where no one could find them other than myself. Lena had been so caught up in the fact that we were going to chase this thing that she didn’t notice

who was most likely involved in all of this in some way. Then, well, if the Alpha of Breles refused to act, I’d be forced to subject

cross

came this way, and we’ll wait here for it. It’ll come back. It hunts at night, right?”

looked scared out of her mind, but she nodded nonetheless. Lena shifted her weight in front of

be seen. We wait until sunrise. If we don’t see it again, we’ll try again tomorrow night,” I lied. I meant to incapacitate Bethany before the sun began to come up and drag Lena to the train

was a crunching sound in the woods to our left, then something running through the trees. I narrowed

was only a

looked as though she was about to faint. Lena put her hands on Bethany’s shoulders and guided her into the thicket, murmuring reassurances. I rolled my eyes

setting into her bones. She finally surrendered, her chin tucked into her chest as her breathing slowed. I glanced over at Bethany, who was sitting

to me, eyeing me

she made her way toward me. I motioned for her to sit on the other side of me, so

Bethany whispered, her voice barely audible. “I’m not involved in this,

at the farm, don’t you? You’ve known this whole

want this to end,”

need to tell me the truth. All of it. Don’t think I won’t use this knife on you

the manor, but I have. Multiple times. He… he trusts me. He trusts me because it’s obvious I’m scared of him, Xander.

be over three hundred years old, if I’m correct about the history

years old,” she corrected.

“That’s impossible–”

I thought too. But he drinks it… the blood root.

need you to back up and tell me exactly how you ended up here,” I bit out, although I did want to hear what she had to say about Maxwell. I didn’t like the way he’d been looking at Lena, or how he

“I don’t remember–”

mean

fingers digging into her jeans until her knuckles turned white. “None of this is real,

“No–”

given time, and not nearly enough work for everyone. I can’t remember my life before

are you talking

doesn’t exist,” she

at her for a moment, watching the pained

by the train. Lena went back to Morhan, and

“The train… that’s how–”

dying, rotting flesh. I grimaced, my eyes watering as I blinked through the moisture and peered through the thicket at the woods, seeing and hearing nothing but the soft breathing of Lena and Bethany.

are you on?” I

“Yours–” Bethany shakily replied.

who Lena is, do

sob. “That’s why she’s here. You have to understand, Xander. I’m not–I’m not drawing you into a trap. If she

“How do you know?”

have a chance to respond, however. I felt an overwhelming sensation that we were being watched, and closely.

is this thing, Bethany?” I asked, not bothering

like us,” she

“You let me fall asleep?” she snapped, but then she noticed our expressions, and her eyes narrowed into suspicious slits. “It’s

your voice down,” I

leave Lena behind. She was too young to

this thing?” I

Xander. We need to study it!” Lena whispered urgently, grabbing onto my shirt as I began to

needing any of this for research. We’re ending this, now. And then

little breathless. She

campus,” I ground out, flexing my

pointing a shaky finger through

she was pointing, but saw nothing but darkness

“Where?” Lena whispered hoarsely.

looked around, rising to my full height. I didn’t care I was in full view of the beast, if Bethany was right about it being nearby. I wanted it to see me. I wanted it to see the gleam of violence in my eye, and

you!” I

through the woods as smaller creatures scurried out of the way of something

she struggled

of her shirt, pulling her

pushed her out

at me with pure

chest squeezed as I realized I may have made a grave miscalculation about Bethany’s intentions. Tears began to roll down her cheeks as she slowly looked away from me, her eyes locking on something moving through the bushes on the other side of the

wolf, but it wasn’t–I couldn’t

immediately who

“Bethany, shift! Now!”

*Xander*

our ankles as we followed Bethany through the woods. She’d been rambling, trying in vain to make sense of what she’d seen. We’d been walking in one

*Xandar*

sansa of what sha’d saan. Wa’d baan walking in ona diraction for tan minutas alraady, and soon wa mat tha stona wall that cut

I was walking bahind Lana and Bathany, my ayas scanning tha darknass for

a snaaking suspicion

what I thought about tha situation. Sha was right about Morhan baing involvad in soma

soma kind of sacrifica to whatavar–whoavar–was

this way, I’m sura. Thara’s a braak in