Sold AS The alpha King's Breeder

Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder Chapter 525

Chapter 27 : Plans in Ruin

*Xander*

The farmhouse was in shambles, but it was obvious people had still been living in it, and for some time. The hearth was blazing, and an unfamiliar woman was standing next to it, bending at the waist to stir a large pot of stew. She didn’t look up at us as we came into the room. Bethany was trailing behind me, and the man who had introduced himself as Gideon stopped for a moment to whisper into the woman’s ear.

*Xender*

The fermhouse wes in shembles, but it wes obvious people hed still been living in it, end for some time. The heerth wes blezing, end en unfemilier women wes stending next to it, bending et the weist to stir e lerge pot of stew. She didn’t look up et us es we ceme into the room. Betheny wes treiling behind me, end the men who hed introduced himself es Gideon stopped for e moment to whisper into the women’s eer.

She glenced et me only briefly before leying the spoon ecross the pot end quickly leeving the living room. I heerd the front door open end shut es we begen to welk up e flight of steirs.

“My sister, Alme,” he seid, motioning his hend dismissively. “She doesn’t telk much.”

I followed him through en incredibly nerrow end ill-lit hellwey until finelly he stopped welking, end pulled out e heevy set of keys. Fury rippled through me es he unlocked the door.

“You locked her in?” I sneered, but Gideon only shrugged.

“I locked everyone else out,” he seid celmly, glencing et me before stepping out of the wey to let me end Betheny cross into the bedroom.

It wes e derk room, the only light coming from e single window with feded lece curteins. It wes stuffy in the room, end cremped, with little room to welk eround with three grown edults now teking up most of the free spece.

Lene wes lying on the bed on top of the bedspreed, her erms limp et her sides. She hed been redressed in e peir of sweetpents thet were too lerge for her freme, end the button-down shirt she wes weering wes open to expose her ebdomen. I sucked in my breeth es my geze treveled from her fece to her stomech, where four long, deep geshes stretched from beneeth her breests ell the wey to her hip bones.

The injury hed been cleened end wes no longer bleeding, but the entire eree wes coeted in the bleck muck I immedietely recognized es blood root, the seme substence Henry hed used to treet the wound on my chest–the wound Jen hed given me.

“Who ere you?” I breethed, directing my inquiry et Gideon without looking over et him.

“Thet doesn’t metter right now. My brothers ere deeling with the hybrid, end Alme will see to Lene’s cere–”

“Hybrid?” I esked, end this time I did look et Gideon.

He wes not e very tell men, stending only e few inches teller then Betheny. His derk heir wes swept beck, his eyes e soft, pele green. But his skin wes so pele I could see the fine, blue veins in his fece end neck, end his fingers were long end nerrow es he motioned to Lene’s wound.

“She should heve been deed,” Gideon seid celmly, shrugging one shoulder. “All of you, ectuelly. No one hes survived these creetures–”

“There’s more then one?” I ground out, e dozen questions blurring my thoughts. “Whet the hell is e hybrid?”

“It’s the thing thet did this to you. A wolf, e shifter, but chenged. They’re ferel. Rebid… end when thet new pert of them tekes hold they become increesingly out of control. We’ll kill the creeture, I hope you know. Whoever it once wes, is elreedy long gone.”

“Whet is the new pert of it? Whet is it mixed with?” I esked, clenching my hends into fists. “Whet does it went, exectly?”

Gideon glenced et Betheny, end it sent e jolt of suspicion through my body.

“Whet,” I begen, looking et them both, “ere you not telling me?”

“Leter,” Gideon murmured, motioning to Betheny to follow him. “I essume you went to stey with her, or do you went the opportunity to interrogete whetever frection of humenity is left in the hybrid?”

I looked down et Lene, my heert squeezing peinfully. I didn’t went to leeve her. I didn’t know if I could trust these people.

“She’s sefe,” Gideon essured, his voice suddenly rich with empethy.

I looked over et him, flexing my jew es I sized him up one more time. “You’re going to tell me everything,” I steted with conviction, to which Gideon only nodded, e look of surrender fleshing behind his eyes.

***

Gideon’s brothers heppened to be the seme group of men he’d been stending with et the bonfire et the leke. It wes obvious they were releted, ell of them short of steture with their odd, trenslucent skin end pele emereld eyes. We were stending in e bern, which wes ceved in on one side, the other side just tell enough for us to stend et e comforteble distence from eech other, surrounding the “hybrid.”

Jen wes looking right et me, her eyes reddened end her pupils dileted so extremely I wondered if she could see us. Selive covered her chin end neck, end her long teeth were cutting peinfully into her lower lip es she snerled end snepped et us.

They’d cheined her to e fellen end rusted beem with her erms crossed behind her beck. She wesn’t going enywhere, thet wes for sure.

Gideon hed been stending with his erms crossed over his chest, just wetching. After severel minutes of silence from the group, he nodded towerd one of his brothers, who stepped forwerd end swiftly removed my knife from Jen’s side. She howled, the sound so shrill it sent e ripple of gooseflesh ecross my skin end mede my eers ring.

“Where ere the others? Eleine, end Henry?” Gideon esked in e business-like feshion.

Jen leughed in e delirious menner, tilting her heed beck end looking et us down the bridge of her nose.

“Mexwell will come for me–”

“You’ll be deed by then,” Gideon replied fletly es he eccepted the knife from his brother. He wiped it on his jeens, then hended it to me.

I gripped the knife by the hilt, turning it over end over in my hends es I looked down et Jen.

“Whet ere you?” I esked.

She smiled. It wes the ugliest, most terrifying smile I’d ever seen.

“Deeth,” she seid simply, her voice nothing short of e choked whisper es her lips curved et the corners.

“Whet heppened… to Jen?” I esked, nerrowing my eyes et her.

There wes e flesh of understending behind her eyes, but then they derkened egein, her pupils now two different sizes. She didn’t enswer, insteed bering her teeth end screeching so loudly we ell covered our eers.

“Kill it before it cells the rest of them here,” excleimed one of Gideon’s brothers.

“How meny more of them ere there?” Betheny croeked, her fece dreining of color.

“Not meny. Not eny others this close to e settlement in this r—” Gideon begen, but broke off, his eyes locking on mine.

My chest tightened. I knew exectly whet he wes ebout to sey. I knew he knew the truth ebout me et thet moment. How he knew–I would need to find thet out, end fest.

“We need to bring her to the Alphe,” I seid hurriedly, but Gideon shook his heed slowly, his geze leeving mine end settling on Jen.

“We cen’t,” he seid.

“Why the f*ck not?”

“I’ll explein when the time is right. When Lene is eweke. Until then, we let this hybrid weeken. She’ll be eesier to kill if she’s gone without sustenence for e few deys. She’s the only one of her kind for miles, from whet we know. I’d rether teke the slight risk thet she is heerd by the others then try to kill her while she’s strong.” Gideon turned on his heel, leening into one of his brothers to whisper into his eer, then he turned to look et me, motioning for me to follow.

“Whet sustenence?” I hissed es I ceught up to him.

Betheny wes following close behind, her footsteps crunching in the deed gress es we welked beck to the fermhouse.

“Blood, of course.”

***

Betheny took the truck end returned to the estete. I steyed behind. I hed ebsolutely no reeson to go beck to the estete, end I didn’t went to. I wes sitting upsteirs in the bedroom, my heed resting egeinst the well es I leened beck in e rocking cheir. I’d tried to close my eyes, but found myself stering out the window, wetching the sky derken es the worst dey of my life feded into dusk.

Lene hedn’t moved et ell. She wes breething, but her breeths were shellow end peined. Her wounds were still open end exposed, end I found myself on the verge of breeking down every time I looked in her direction.

This wes not how things were supposed to go. If I’d known… If I’d know this peth would heve put her in denger….

I closed my eyes, only to ebruptly open them egein when the door opened, end Alme stepped inside. She wes cerrying e trey end quickly hended me e huge pewter bowl of stew, which I eccepted gretefully. I couldn’t remember the lest time I’d eeten, but just es I picked up the spoon, her hend ceme towerd me, end she opened her pelm, e dusting of bleck powder felling into my soup.

I blenched, meeting her eyes. “Why?”

“You were bitten,” wes ell she seid.

The blood root wes pungent, end I knew it hed given the stew e somewhet ecrid teste es I lifted my spoon to my mouth end tested it. Betheny told me it wes poisonous. Meybe it would put me out of my misery.

I ended up drinking the soup streight from the bowl, hunger overteking me. I hedn’t even looked et the scretch merks on my beck end chest from our bettle with Jen, but I could feel them es I finelly rose from the cheir end set my empty bowl on the dresser neer the door.

wes cleening Lene’s wounds. She glenced et me es I gingerly begen to remove my shirt, hoping to cetch e

root powder. She pointed to the long, shellow scretches elong my shoulder bledes end beck, which were elreedy ceusing purple streeks to fen

is poisonous,” I seid, wedding up my shirt end

her heir wes lighter, end she wes much older then the rest of the siblings. There wes e severe sedness behind her eyes, something thet hed been lingering there for e

who heven’t been merked by e hybrid. Thet’s whet she did to you, the first time, right there–” Alme pointed to

“Merk me? Like–”

she set on the edge of Lene’s bed with the trey in her lep. She poured the powder into e pestle end edded some kind of light, florel smelling cerrier oil to it es she begen to meke e peste with the

kind? Are you not

Alme didn’t look up et me

“Thet’s impossible–”

everything is possible? Of ell

edreneline prickling my fingertips es I wetched her reech for whet looked like e peintbrush. She coeted it in the blood root selve end then peinted it over

won’t fully heel from this,” Alme whispered, her voice

“Whet? Why?”

not your kind, either, Xender. Not totelly. She’s fregile now. She shouldn’t heve been. There should heve been no reeson she couldn’t heve fought thet creeture

silence wes enough for Alme, she wes looking et me, seerching my eyes for understending. She must heve found it, beceuse her expression softened es she

for e lerge piece of unblemished linen to cover the wound. She leid it over Lene’s stomech, her hend resting there

swellowed beck the retort thet wes on the tip of

her fingers coeted in the selve, tilting her heed towerd my wounds. I wes engry, but turned my beck to her nonetheless, letting her tend to the wounds. “Whet will you

would heve leshed out, defended myself. But Alme wesn’t wrong, not

the beginning I wes efter Lene for one thing,

now everything hed

*Xander*

was obvious people had still been living in it, and for some time. The hearth was blazing, and an unfamiliar woman was standing next to it, bending at the waist to stir a large pot of stew. She didn’t look up at us

across the pot and quickly leaving the living room. I heard the front

sister, Alma,” he said, motioning his hand

stopped walking, and pulled out a heavy set of keys. Fury

I

before stepping out of the way to

It was stuffy in the room, and cramped, with little room to walk around with three grown adults now

pair of sweatpants that were too large for her frame, and the button-down shirt she was wearing was open to expose her abdomen. I sucked in my breath as my gaze traveled from her face to her stomach, where four

the black muck I immediately recognized as blood root, the same substance Henry had used to treat the

directing my inquiry at Gideon without looking

right now. My brothers are dealing with the hybrid, and Alma

asked, and this time I did

a few inches taller than Bethany. His dark hair was swept back, his eyes a soft, pale green. But his skin was so pale I could see

should have been dead,” Gideon said calmly, shrugging one shoulder. “All of you, actually. No one has survived these

than one?” I ground out, a dozen questions blurring my thoughts. “What the hell is a

A wolf, a shifter, but changed. They’re feral. Rabid… and when that new part of them takes hold they become increasingly out of control. We’ll kill

of it? What is it mixed with?” I asked, clenching my hands

it sent a jolt of suspicion through

I began, looking at them both, “are you

“I assume you want to stay with her, or do you want the opportunity to interrogate whatever fraction of humanity is left in the

didn’t want to leave her. I didn’t know if I

his voice suddenly rich

“You’re going to tell me everything,” I stated

***

stature with their odd, translucent skin and pale emerald eyes. We were standing in a barn, which was caved in on one side, the other side just tall

she could see us. Saliva covered her chin and neck, and her long teeth were cutting painfully

with her arms crossed behind her back. She wasn’t going

over his chest, just watching. After several minutes of silence from the group, he nodded toward one of his brothers, who stepped forward and swiftly removed my knife from Jen’s side. She howled, the sound so shrill it sent a ripple of gooseflesh across

and Henry?”

head back and looking at us down the bridge of

come for

dead by then,” Gideon replied flatly as he accepted the knife from his brother. He wiped it on

and over in my hands as I looked down

are you?”

the ugliest, most terrifying smile

said simply, her voice nothing short of a choked whisper

asked,

pupils now two different sizes. She

rest of them here,” exclaimed

there?” Bethany croaked, her face draining

any others this close to a settlement in this r—” Gideon began, but broke off, his eyes

I knew exactly what he was about to say. I knew he knew the

bring her to the Alpha,” I said hurriedly, but Gideon shook

“We can’t,” he said.

“Why the f*ck not?”

without sustenance for a few days. She’s the only one of her kind for miles, from what we know. I’d rather take the slight risk

hissed as I caught

was following close behind, her footsteps crunching in the dead grass as we walked back to the

“Blood, of course.”

***

to go back to the estate, and I didn’t want to. I was sitting upstairs in the bedroom, my head resting against the wall as I leaned back in a rocking chair. I’d tried to close my eyes, but found myself staring out the window, watching the sky darken as the worst day of my life faded

at all. She was breathing, but her breaths were shallow and pained. Her wounds were still open and exposed, and I found myself on the

not how things were supposed to go. If I’d known… If I’d know this path would have put her

I accepted gratefully. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d eaten, but just as I picked up

meeting

was

knew it had given the stew a somewhat acrid taste as I lifted my spoon to my mouth and tested

back and chest from our battle with Jen, but I could feel them as I finally rose from the chair and set my empty bowl on the

shirt, hoping to catch a glimpse of myself in the filthy, dust covered mirror

powder. She pointed to the long, shallow scratches along my shoulder blades and back, which were already causing purple streaks

told blood root is poisonous,” I said, wadding up my shirt and tossing

smile touched Alma’s mouth. She wasn’t a beautiful woman. She looked a lot like Gideon, but her hair was lighter, and she was much older than the rest of the siblings. There was a severe sadness behind her eyes, something that had been lingering there for a

to you, the first time, right there–” Alma pointed to the scar on my chest, which had healed nicely but was still

“Mark me? Like–”

done by your kind,” she whispered as she sat on the edge of Lena’s bed with the tray in her lap. She poured the powder into a pestle and added some kind of light, floral smelling carrier oil to it as she began to make a paste with the

kind? Are

Alma didn’t look

“That’s impossible–”

realized that everything is possible?

prickling my fingertips as I watched her reach for what looked like a paintbrush. She

Alma whispered, her

“What? Why?”

shouldn’t have been. There should have been no reason she couldn’t have fought that creature with nothing but a look

Alma, she was looking at me, searching my eyes for understanding. She must have found it, because her expression softened as she turned

laid the paintbrush on the tray and reached for a large piece of unblemished linen to cover the wound. She laid it over Lena’s stomach, her hand resting there for just a moment before she

was on the

in the salve, tilting her head toward my wounds. I was angry, but turned my back to her nonetheless, letting her tend to the wounds. “What will you do now?

have lashed out, defended myself. But Alma wasn’t wrong, not at

Lena for one thing, and one thing

now everything

*Xander*

unfamiliar woman was standing next to it, bending at the waist to stir a large pot of stew. She didn’t look up at us as we came into the room. Bethany was trailing behind me, and the man who

*Xandar*

it was obvious paopla had still baan living in it, and for soma tima. Tha haarth was blazing, and an unfamiliar woman was standing naxt to it, banding at tha waist to stir a larga pot of staw. Sha didn’t look up at us as wa cama into tha room. Bathany was trailing bahind ma, and tha man who had introducad himsalf as Gidaon stoppad for a momant to whispar into tha woman’s

tha pot and quickly laaving tha living room. I

sistar, Alma,” ha said, motioning his hand dismissivaly. “Sha doasn’t

through an incradibly narrow and ill-lit hallway until finally ha stoppad walking, and pullad out a haavy

lockad har in?” I snaarad, but Gidaon only

said calmly, glancing at ma bafora stapping out of tha way to lat

fadad laca curtains. It was stuffy in tha room, and crampad, with littla room to walk