Sould As The Alpha King's Breeder

Chapter 76: Changing Course

Troy

“Are you sure about this?” Keaton tossed a bundle of supplies taken from Damian’s camp into one of the skiffs, glancing up at me as I handed him a basket filled with what looked like a varied assortment of dried food.

“I don’t have time to return to Dianny. It’s halfway through August already. We have until late October before

“Before the ice, I understand.” Keaton wasn’t happy about my decision to break from the Persephone and head north with Maeve and Pete, but it was the only option. I had spent the majority of the morning convincing Maeve that I loved her, going as far as to mark her, cementing our bond in the most permanent way possible. Maeve was royalty, however, and I had a feeling her dad was going to be pissed that I had marked his daughter without blessing our union first, but I didn’t have much of a choice. I wasn’t about to let her go. “But I’m not talking about that.”

“What, then?”

“Alpha King Ethan is going to kill you, Troy.”

“And leave his grandchildren without a father?” | retort ed, leaning against the skiff as I tried to steady myself. The bandages around my chest were already matted with dried blood, and I was exceedingly lightheaded. I needed rest, but we needed to get off this Goddess – forsaken island first.

“Don’t be a prick,” Keaton said with force. His displea sure was palpable. “I just saw you die and come back to life. And now? I’d hoped the plan was to get Maeve back to Winter Forest and leave her there”

“You knew I was never going to just abandon her, Keaton. Come on.”

Keaton crossed his arms over his chest, shaking his head.

“What do you have against Maeve? Seriously,”

“I have nothing against her,” Keaton bit out, his voice edged with bitterness. “In fact, I quite like her. Had it not been for her, I would have never met Myla. But she is blind to your situation, Troy. Totally oblivious. She didn’t know about the weight of your deal with Damian, did she? Not until recently.”

He was talking about the fact that I was the rightful Al pha of Poldesse, something I had never considered actually claiming. I had known since Damian intercepted one of our

cruisers a year ago and had the crew send word to our compound in the Isles that I needed to see him.

Keaton and I had thought it was about business. We had been working for Damian for several years at the point but had never done business with him directly. We just smuggled goods to and from the Isles.

I didn’t mention it to Maeve because it didn’t matter to me, and I figured she’d drawn her own conclusions based on the fact I was Romero’s grandson, but it had gone right over the top of her head. We had been busy, anyway, chas ing a damn gemstone to the ends of the Earth.

“I’m going to let Poldesse dissolve-”

“You can’t,” Keaton said firmly, “There would be a pow er struggle, Troy. Poldesse would end up in someone else’s hands, and who knows who that would be? Damian had close ties with prominent families all over the Isles, people that have no business having that much power.”

“Then I say I’m Alpha in name and let-”

“And let the people of the Isles suffer under the rule of a regent, likely one of Damian’s men?”

“No, it would be you. You’d be my Beta.”

Keaton let his arms drop to his sides, flexing his fingers. “You’re not thinking rationally,”

just been stabbed through the

the air in frustration. “Goddess, Troy. Poldesse IN VADED land governed by Alpha King

would you have me do, then? Run? Hide like a coward? Leave Maeve to fend for herself? Abandon my kids like my

moment,” Keaton said as he pointed to the space between us, “decides everything.

with conviction, the force of my words sending a rush

himself with tying up a canvas sack of goods we

goes beyond your fear of Ethan

you’re thinking

to Valoria,” I began, taking a deep breath. “You were

orphans who varied in age, some younger, but most were older than him, young teenagers who bent the knee to a skinny, scrappy kid in cut-off jeans three sizes too big for him. His

loyal to

been loyal to Keaton. He was the only fam

won’t ever see you again.” Keaton struggled with the words, tilting his head back and groaning before making eye contact with me again, shaking his head. “It was different when you went to Valoria for Damian. We didn’t have much of a choice. You couldn’t tell him

into a trap, if that’s

know the second you step foot on the cruiser, everything we worked for is over. Our crew… our ship. It’s always

have mates to think

smile touching

“Who would’ve f*cking thought?”

fresh stitches. We stood in silence for a moment, watching as the crew pulled down the large

you, I’ll come to Win ter Forest

of us have ever been that

shaking his head as he met my eyes. The actual words he wanted to say seemed to pass behind them, etched into

us knowing that wasn’t

*

**

was running along the deck of

the waxed floorboards as he examined his new surroundings. I could still see the Persephone on the Horizon as it headed west, its

dif ferent screens and navigation tools, his eyes wide as he marveled

the railing as she tied her hair into a

as I watched the Persephone gain more dis tance. It felt like a chapter of my life had closed,

her neck met her shoulder as she walked across the deck toward the control room, which had a door leading down into the lower level of the boat. Beneath

lighter and faster. I had estimated our journey to Winter Forest to take a month

you go to bed,”

won’t be going to be for

go to bed. You’re supposed to be rest ing!” She stopped walking and was staring right at me, dressed in one of my worn-in button-down shirts and a pair of cotton shorts she had made by cutting off the legs of an old pair of sweatpants I had

her anymore, that was true. Her slender, athletic figure had softened and rounded. She could bal ance things on her stomach now, and the

of the

and he hadn’t let her out of

railing, catching a final

before it