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-"

Eliza's 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

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

for me" I

the direction of her voice.She was far, I knew that much.Her cries for help and agonizing screams were being carried on the wind

to Abe,

thundering across the rocky forest floor.I didn't turn back to see whether or not Abe had stopped to pick up my things.I had to get to her, especially now that the forest went silent, the

know.I didn't have a chance to give it much thought.I skidded to a stop, panting and

clouds parted, showering the clearing in the center in pale silver light.It smelled

was thick

resting palms up on her knees.Her left hand

in her bloodied hand, whirling, small pieces of blood-covered

eyes were open, blinking slowly like

howled, alerting Abe of

was laying on the ground

clothes inside of it, and I grabbed the first thing I found as I shifted back to my usual form, pulling on a soaking wet shirt and pair of pants as I hurried over to her, rocks

"Eliza!"

hoarsely, the extent of her injuries now clear as

as she stared forward through the circle and into the sparse birch forest.I knelt in front

like it was a part of her.She

tear fell down her cheek as

I begged, wiping her tears away from her cheeks with

then

it wasn't

back from her, landing on my ass as I looked down at her blood-covered

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 tear the Cryptex from her flesh.She didn't flinch.She didn't even move as I yanked on

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

coating its bloodied surface.I ripped apart

her breath coming

look at me," I said sternly, tying the fabric in place over her palm.I shook her by the shoulders and

f**k is

shouted behind us, skidding to a

look over my

eyes went wide as

much

We need a fire,

"Everything is wet!"

whispered a thankful prayer and

rush of rage through me.How did this

"DRAVEN!"

I screamed, seeing red.

bastard.Where are you? What did you do to

air around us whispered in answer, a burst of cold wind sending dry sticks and

to get out of here,

my backpack and

when I was trying to find you.We can camp

up, cradling her

cold

took everything in my power not

knelt, wrapping the Cryptex in a

a darkened fissure

rather be home and warm in his bed than finding out whether of

bare chest, praying she could feel the fevered heat coming off my