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-"

jumped into the river and

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

for me" I

screams cut through 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,

Abe, who was panting a few paces

floor.I didn't turn back to see whether or not Abe had stopped to pick up my things.I had to get to

it much thought.I skidded to a stop, panting and staring wide-eyed at a circle of stones not unlike the

showering the clearing in the center in pale

air was thick

sitting down, her legs crossed and her hands resting palms

small pieces of blood-covered gold

blinking slowly like she

Abe of

laying on the ground a few feet from

I shifted back to my usual form, pulling on a soaking wet

"Eliza!"

cried hoarsely, the extent of

skin.Her mouth was slightly ajar as

was fixed in place like it was a part of her.She sucked in her breath, a shuddering moan escaping

cheek as I took her face

away from her cheeks

here-" But then I felt

it wasn't my

her, landing on my ass as

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

the inner pieces slid free

dirt now coating its bloodied surface.I ripped

crying, her

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

the f**k

us, skidding to

gave him a desperate look over my shoulder as I

as he saw the

much blood,

okay? We need a

"Everything is wet!"

bending to dig through one of the backpacks.He pulled a leather pouch from his bag and whispered a thankful prayer and he opened it and found the contents still dry-sterile

hand back together sent a rush of rage through me.How did

"DRAVEN!"

I screamed, seeing red.

you? What

whispered in answer, a burst of cold wind sending dry

need to get out of

kicking my backpack and belt toward

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

Eliza up, cradling her in my arms like an

freezing, cold to the

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

wrapping the Cryptex in a wet shirt before he took the

before a darkened fissure at the

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

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