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-"

hesitate.I jumped into the river and threw my body into action,

and clothing.I didn't care.Her screams were like a

for me" I

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

to shift!" I yelled back to Abe, who was panting a few

or not Abe had stopped to pick up my things.I had to get to her, especially now that the forest went

it much thought.I skidded to a stop, panting and staring

parted, showering the clearing in the center

was thick and

palms

bloodied hand, whirling, small pieces of blood-covered gold popping

were open, blinking slowly

alerting Abe

laying on the ground a few feet from the

some of my clothes inside of it, and I grabbed the first thing I found as I shifted back to my usual form, pulling on a soaking

"Eliza!"

of her injuries

torn apart, the sharp inner pieces of the Cryptex penetrating her skin.Her mouth was slightly ajar as she stared forward through the circle and into

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

cheek as I took her face between

begged, wiping her tears away from her cheeks

But then I felt

it wasn't my

ass as I looked down

over to her and doing everything in my power to tear the Cryptex from her flesh.She didn't flinch.She didn't

whirling and the inner pieces slid free of her, clicking back

ground, dirt now coating its bloodied surface.I ripped

her breath coming in

her palm.I

f**k is

skidding to

my shoulder as I gathered her

as he saw

too much blood,

okay? We need

"Everything is wet!"

a 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

rush of rage through me.How did

"DRAVEN!"

I screamed, seeing red.

What did

of cold wind sending dry sticks and debris

need to get out of

backpack and belt toward

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

cradling her in

freezing, cold to

tinged blue, and it took everything in my power not to scream and unleash

a wet shirt before he took the

a darkened fissure at the base of

that told me he'd rather be home and warm in his bed than finding out whether of not this

Eliza to my bare chest, praying she could feel the fevered heat