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-"

was carried on the wind, followed by 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 over the rapid as

our supplies would be soaked-all of our food and clothing.I

for me"

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

Abe, who was

with fatigue as I sprinted forward, my paws 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 wind coming to

foot in less than an hour, I didn't know.I didn't have a chance to give it much thought.I skidded to a stop, panting and staring wide-eyed at a circle of stones not

the clearing in the center in pale silver light.It

air was thick

hands resting palms up on her knees.Her left hand and

small pieces of blood-covered

were open, blinking slowly like she

alerting Abe of

ground a few feet from the

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 slicing into my

"Eliza!"

extent of

was slightly ajar as she stared forward through the circle and into the sparse

in place like it was a part of her.She sucked in her breath,

as I took her

begged, wiping her tears away from her cheeks with

right here-" But then I felt

wasn't

back from her, landing on my ass as I looked

black ink snaked up 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 tear the Cryptex from

whirling and the inner pieces slid free of her, clicking

now coating its bloodied surface.I ripped apart my shirt, using it to staunch

her

I said sternly, tying the fabric in place over her palm.I shook her by the shoulders

f**k is

shouted behind us, skidding to a stop and dropping

look over my shoulder as

eyes went wide as

too much

okay? We need a

"Everything is wet!"

his bag and whispered a thankful prayer and he opened

together sent a rush of rage through me.How did this happen?

"DRAVEN!"

I screamed, seeing red.

f*****g bastard.Where are you? What

air around us whispered in answer, a burst of

to get out

kicking my backpack and belt toward

saw it when I was trying to find you.We can camp there and figure things

her in my

cold

in my power not to scream and unleash my dark

in a wet shirt before he

were standing before a darkened fissure

glancing at me with a look that told me he'd rather be home and warm in his bed than finding out whether of not this cave had

gripped Eliza to my bare chest, praying she could