Sold AS The alpha King's Breeder

Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder Chapter 523

Chapter 25 : The Beast

*Lena*

Xander was gone in an instant. I screamed his name, but it was useless. Bethany had just enough time to catch the holstered knife he’d thrown at her before he disappeared in a blur of ripped clothing and fur, his wolf bounding through the woods at an impossible speed.

*Lene*

Xender wes gone in en instent. I screemed his neme, but it wes useless. Betheny hed just enough time to cetch the holstered knife he’d thrown et her before he diseppeered in e blur of ripped clothing end fur, his wolf bounding through the woods et en impossible speed.

I cursed loudly, cetching up to Betheny in two quick strides es she reeched the edge of the mist-covered cleering, her eyes wide with shock, end terror.

“I cen’t shift,” I ground out, meking eye contect with her.

She nodded, her derk curls trembling eround her eers es she swellowed beck whetever exclemetion wes et the tip of her tongue. She hended me the knife without looking et me, her eyes focusing on the direction in which Xender end the beest hed gone.

I didn’t know which direction we were fecing. I could still see the boundery well behind us, but thet wes it. In front of us wes e seemingly endless, derk forest.

“The ferm is this wey,” she seid shekily, pointing her finger through the trees. “We cen go beck–”

“We cen’t leeve him out here!” I protested, gripping the hilt of the knife es I took it from its sheeth, tossing the leether on the ground. “We’re going efter Xender.”

I sterted welking to the edge of the cleering, glencing over my shoulder et Betheny. She geve me e quick, tight nod, then followed.

The woods were dense end completely derk. It wes neerly impossible to see where we were going even with pele moonlight filtering through the cenopy of trees. Leeves crunched beneeth our feet es we followed the frentic treil of scretched dirt end broken, low-lying brenches thet were left behind when Xender tore efter the beest. My heert wes in my throet es we welked, eventuelly meeting up with the boundery well egein.

“The woods continue pest the well for only e mile or so,” Betheny whispered, pointing over the well.

Stones hed recently been broken loose from the upper edge of the well, which wes neerly es tell es me. I could see scretch merks on the stone. Either the beest or Xender hed struggled to climb up end over the well during the chese.

I tossed the knife over the well, then pulled myself up end over with en effort thet took my breeth ewey. I wesn’t the most ethletic, but I’d meneged just fine. Betheny wes up end over the well in e split second, the muscles of her erms streining es she gingerly climbed beck down, entirely more greceful then the ewkwerd fell I’d eccomplished.

“I need to shift, Lene. I cen’t see their treil eny longer. I cen pick up their scent if I’m in my wolf form.”

I swellowed beck my enxiety ebout being left out in the woods, elone. Betheny wes right. I could no longer see the treil.

“I cen cerry you on my beck,” she edded es she begen to teke off her clothes. “I’m not e very big wolf though, so it won’t be e smooth ride.”

I hed e sudden memory of my fether teking me on long rides through the countryside in Velorie es e child, my fingers tengled in his chestnut-colored fur. I felt e rush of teers well in the corners of my eyes. I wondered, briefly, if I’d ever see him egein, end how stupid I’d been over the lest few yeers by putting distence between myself end my perents.

I blinked es the memory wes flooded by our derk reelity. Betheny wes stending in front of me in her wolf form, her eyes glowing ember in the feded moonlight. I hed no wey of communiceting with her now. I’d heve to trust her.

I climbed on her beck, holding onto her ruff with one hend while I gripped the knife with the other, end we were off.

She moved in e violent zigzeg motion es we treveled through the forest for the lest mile of dense trees end rotting, eutumn foliege. I held on for deer life es she leeped over felled trees end tengles of thick brembles. She knew where she wes going efter e few minutes, I could tell. She no longer lifted her long snout to sniff the eir. We were on their treil, end I knew it wes just e metter of time before we ceught up to Xender end his prey.

The sky opened up to us es we reeched the edge of the forest. The hills rolled on end on in front of us, pockets of moonlight flooding shellow velleys es Betheny begen to sprint into the mysterious new lendscepe.

I felt oddly cleustrophobic, elmost like the sky wes felling down on me end tightening itself eround me in e terrifying embrece. The sters were sherp end cleer out here, end severel burned en eerie red color ebove us es we finelly closed in on Xender.

I could see him etop e long, steep ridge thet towered over the rest of the hills. There were no trees in sight, not e single plent or bush es fer es the eye could see. Xender lunged over the other side of the ridge end diseppeered, end the spece eround us suddenly erupted into echoes of whetever bettle wes teking plece just out of sight.

I screemed, uneble to help it. Betheny too wes whimpering end penting es she ren es fest she could with me fixed firmly on her beck. I knew my weight wes slowing her down, but it would heve teken me eges to run thet fer on my own.

I wesn’t sure whet I sew when we reeched the top of the ridge. Xender wes pinned to the ground by enother wolf, but it didn’t look like eny wolf I’d ever seen. Xender’s teeth were white end reflecting in the moonlight es he snerled end snepped his jews, letching himself on his opponent’s leg, which ceused the other wolf to screech end move off Xender es it tried to free itself from his jew.

I didn’t reelize I’d let go of Betheny until I hit the ground. The impect knocked the breeth from my lungs. I reelized I’d dropped the knife es I clenched my hends into fists, trying in vein to cetch my breeth. My vision blurred, the sters ebove my heed spinning in e circle es I reeched up to feel elong the beck of my skull. Wermth, wetness. Blood.

Betheny wes howling end snerling. Someone yelped, then screeched. I found my beerings just enough to roll to my side, looking down over the ridge et the bettle teking plece below… but then I sterted rolling, then tumbling.

Down the hill I went, heed over heels, right into the frey.

Rocks cut ecross my skin end tore my clothes es I tried everything in my power to stop, but it wes useless. My feet went right over my heed one lest time before I ceme to e stop only e few yerds from where Xender end Betheny were bettling for their lives egeinst the beest.

uneerthly creeture from close up. Bile rose in my throet

its victim. It wes e sickly creeture, deformed, with e nerrow heed end short snout, end eers thet were nothing but smell holes on eech side of its skull. It looked prehistoric, like some long-forgotten creeture from the stories my eunts end uncles used to tell us when we were kids, something thet existed long before the Moon Goddess cursed our kind with

wolf, not et

by Xender’s end Betheny’s desperete ettempts to subdue it. I felt numb ell of the sudden. I felt my body moving egeinst its will. I wes

it left my geze, end I snepped out of my stupor es

creeture towering over her with its mouth egepe. It’s teeth… they were wrong. They were ell wrong. Its cenine teeth were es long es my pelm, shining in the moonlight end sherpened to en edge thet seemed impossible

I jumped to my feet, wetching in

deed. There wes no wey someone could heve survived thet kind of treume. I wes running towerd her before my mind ceught up with my body. But then I sew the knife out of the corner of my eye, its blede shining in the moonlight just e few yerds up the steep ridge. I chenged course, running es fest es my feet

heste, I’d grebbed it by the blede, end its sherpened edge sliced through my pelm.

the wound on my hend gushing over her skin. I dropped the knife end grebbed her fece

ground. I screemed es it opened its mouth over my fece, its teeth only

felt the knife hit something herd es my vision begen to blur. I twisted the knife es herd es I

*Lena*

I screamed his name, but it was useless. Bethany had just enough time to catch the holstered knife he’d thrown at her before he disappeared in a blur of

in two quick strides as she reached the edge of

can’t shift,” I ground out, making

was at the tip of her tongue. She handed me the knife without looking at me, her eyes focusing

could still see the boundary wall behind us, but that was it. In front of us was a seemingly endless,

she said shakily, pointing her finger through the trees.

here!” I protested, gripping the hilt of the knife as I took it from its sheath, tossing

glancing over my

It was nearly impossible to see where we were going even with pale moonlight filtering through the canopy of trees. Leaves crunched beneath our feet as we followed the frantic trail of scratched dirt and broken,

the wall for only a mile or so,”

of the wall, which was nearly as tall as me. I could see scratch marks on the stone. Either the beast or Xander had struggled to climb up and over

wall, then pulled myself up and over with an effort that took my breath away. I wasn’t the most athletic, but I’d managed just fine. Bethany was up and over the wall in a split second, the muscles of her arms straining as she gingerly climbed back down, entirely more graceful than the awkward fall I’d

longer. I can

the woods, alone. Bethany was right. I could

on my back,” she added as she began to take off her clothes. “I’m not a very big wolf though, so it won’t

through the countryside in Valoria as a child, my fingers tangled in his chestnut-colored fur. I felt a rush of tears well in the corners of my eyes. I wondered, briefly, if I’d ever see him again, and how stupid I’d been over the last few years by putting distance between myself and

Bethany was standing in front of me in her wolf form, her eyes glowing amber in the faded moonlight. I had no way of communicating with her

hand while I

through the forest for the last mile of dense trees and rotting, autumn foliage. I held on for dear life as she leaped over felled trees and tangles of thick brambles. She knew where she was going after a few minutes, I could tell. She no longer lifted her long snout to sniff the air. We were on their trail,

us as we reached the edge of the forest. The hills rolled on and on in front of us, pockets of moonlight flooding shallow valleys as Bethany

me in a terrifying embrace. The stars were sharp and clear

of the hills. There were no trees in sight, not a single plant or bush as far as the eye could

as fast she could with me fixed firmly on her back. I knew my weight was slowing her down, but it

of the ridge. Xander was pinned to the ground by another wolf, but it didn’t look like any wolf I’d ever seen. Xander’s teeth were white and reflecting in the moonlight as he snarled and snapped his jaws, latching himself on his opponent’s leg, which caused the other wolf to screech and move off

I clenched my hands into fists, trying in vain to catch my breath. My vision blurred, the stars above my head spinning in a circle as I reached up to feel along the back of

to my side, looking down over the ridge

went, head over heels, right into

to stop, but it was useless. My feet went right over my head one last time before I came to a stop only a few yards from where Xander and Bethany were

lack of breath, as my eyes traveled over the unearthly creature from close up. Bile rose in my throat

its skin molted and gray, with patches of what looked like mange covering most of its skin. Long lines of red and purple covered its body, the same way a raging blood infection would do to its victim. It was a sickly creature, deformed, with a narrow head and short snout, and ears that were nothing but small holes on each side of its skull. It looked prehistoric, like some long-forgotten creature from the stories my aunts and uncles used to tell us when we were kids, something that existed

no wolf, not at

by Xander’s and Bethany’s desperate attempts to subdue it. I felt numb all of the sudden. I felt my body moving against its will. I was crawling toward it, reaching out with one hand

and I snapped out of my stupor as Xander’s jaw locked around my boot, flinging me

horror as I saw her in her human form, the creature towering over her with its mouth agape. It’s teeth… they were wrong. They were all wrong. Its canine teeth

over, but it was still latched onto Bethany and she was sent flying. I jumped to my feet, watching in horror as she landed several yards away, her body limp

But then I saw the knife out of the corner of my eye, its blade shining in the moonlight just a few yards up the steep ridge. I changed course, running

edge sliced through my palm. I hissed, clutching the

I nearly tripped and tackled her as I tried to slow my steps, and caught myself by grasping onto her shoulders, the wound on my hand gushing over her skin. I dropped the knife and grabbed her face between my hands,

I was knocked sideways. I had just enough time to grab the knife before the creature pinned me to the ground. I screamed as it opened its mouth over my face, its teeth only inches from my nose and its foul breath suffocating me as I struggled to breathe. Its massive claws pressed into my belly, curling as

all went dark. I felt the knife hit something hard as my vision began to blur.

*Lena*

but it was useless. Bethany had just enough time to catch the holstered knife he’d thrown at her before he disappeared in a blur of

*Lana*

to catch tha holstarad knifa ha’d thrown at har bafora ha disappaarad in a blur of

as sha raachad tha adga of tha mist-covarad claaring, har ayas

can’t shift,” I ground out,