Sold AS The alpha King's Breeder

Chapter 65 : Hold On For Me * Jared*

I pulled my clothes back on, not even bothering to clean the blood off my body.It wasn't my own.It belonged to the three wolves now scattered in pieces near the center of the camp.I huffed a breath, adrenaline coursing through my body as I looked at the wolves.I'd practically skinned them alive, then sent that shadow after what remained.

Abe was staring at me from across their remains, his eyes darkened as he pulled his knife belt through his belt loops.

"ELIZA!"

I shouted, baring my teeth.Nothing.

Only the wind carried any noise toward us, and it was the sound of the river roaring nearby.

The silver wolf at my feet twitched as it succumbed to a painful death.

Good.

This one I'd taken my particular time with.

It had barreled into our camp reeking of Eliza, of her fear, but not of her blood.

She'd gotten away somehow.

"Gather what you can.

We need to go,"

I barked, glancing at Abe before gathering up my supplies and our bedrolls.

Eliza's boots and socks had been dragged in several different directions.

Her knife belt and vest were still there as well.

She was out there barefoot with no way to protect herself.

"lI have her scent,"

Abe stated, shrugging on his backpack.

"What do you want to do with them?"

He waved his hand over the pile of dead wolves.I shook my head.

"I don't care, leave them.Let them be an example to whoever is dumb enough to try to track us."

The silver wolf was obviously in control of the rogues; that was a bad sign.It meant whoever this wolf had been before I ripped it apart with my bare hands had been a witch of some kind.

Only Dark Witches ran with the rogues.But this witch wasn't Hestia, that was clear enough.

Hestia would have killed Abe and Eliza without so much as looking at them, and she didn't need soulless rogues to do her dirty work.

We left the camp and followed Eliza's scent roughly a mile toward the mountains where her scent abruptly ended, right at the river's edge.

"s**t," I breathed, looking up and down the river bank.

"Can she swim?" Abe said flatly, crossing his hands over his chest.

I was more worried about her freezing to death somewhere downstream.

"Yes, she can swim-"

voice gasping and crying out for help.I didn't hesitate.I jumped into the river and threw my body into action, letting it carry me to the other side.I heard Abe's splash over the rapid as

soaked-all of our food and clothing.I didn't care.Her screams were like a flame to

for

the air as I pulled myself out of the river and broke into a wet sprint in the direction of her voice.She was far, I knew that much.Her cries for help and agonizing screams were being carried on

to shift!" I yelled back to Abe, who

Abe had stopped to pick up my things.I had to get to her, especially now that the forest went silent, the wind coming to an

much thought.I skidded to a stop, panting and staring wide-eyed at

showering the clearing in the center in pale

was thick

her legs crossed and her hands resting palms up on her knees.Her left hand and arm were soaked

whirling, small pieces of blood-covered

were open, blinking slowly like she

howled, alerting Abe

ground a

the first thing I found as I shifted back to my usual form, pulling

"Eliza!"

hoarsely, the extent of her

of the Cryptex penetrating her skin.Her mouth was slightly ajar as she stared forward through the circle and into the

to pry the Cryptex from her hand, but it was fixed in place like it was a part of

down her cheek as I took

her tears away

here-" But then I felt it,

it wasn't

landing on my ass as

her wrist and arm, intertwined with ink the color of raw emeralds.I screamed her name, crawling back over to her and doing everything in my power to

stopped whirling and the inner

bloodied surface.I ripped apart my shirt,

was crying, her breath

the fabric in place over her palm.I shook her

f**k is

skidding to a

gave him a desperate look over my shoulder as I gathered her

eyes went wide as

too much blood,

We need a fire,

"Everything is wet!"

leather pouch from his bag and whispered a thankful prayer and he opened it and found the contents still dry-sterile bandages, ointment, needles and

sewing her hand back together sent a rush of rage through me.How did this happen? Who was responsible?

"DRAVEN!"

I screamed, seeing red.

are you? What

in answer, a burst of cold wind sending dry sticks

get out of

backpack and

system nearby.I saw it when I was trying to find you.We

picked Eliza up, cradling her in my arms like

freezing, cold

blue, and it took everything in my power

knelt, wrapping the Cryptex in a wet shirt before he took the

a darkened fissure at the

me he'd rather be home and warm in his bed than

gripped Eliza to my bare chest, praying she could feel