Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder
Chapter 273

Chapter 53: Following Destiny

Troy

Duck was bounding up the beach ahead of us, his tongue hanging out of the side of his mouth andslapping his snout as he ran. Robbie was sulking behind me, his feet shuffling in the sand.

“Come on, man. We have to go back for the girls, you know," I said, looking at him over myshoulder. He huffed audibly, like an animal, but refused to keep in step with me. Robbie hadn'twanted to leave Dianny. He had met someone, but refused to talk about it to anyone, which wasprobably because Myla would tease him relentlessly if she found out.

Oh, Keaton was going to have my head over the Myla situation.

I could already see him storming down the beach towards us, his face twisted in anger.

"Where is she?!” he bellowed from several yards away, his voice booming over the sound of thewaves lapping against the sand. I waved at him

“Nice to see you too!”

“Shut up, Troy. You useless,” His words were drowned out by the sound of the waves crashing over alarge rock as we passed by. High tide. I turned my head to look over at the Persephone. Its mastswere mended, and people were climbing the rat lines to help hoist the sails back into place.

"She's fine. She felt she needed to stay back with Maeve and Pete,” I said, stopping short of Keaton,who was fuming with frustration.

“Fine? You've been gone for three days, and all you have to say to me is that she’s fine?” He crossedhis arms over his chest, cheeks reddening. “And... at least a dozen complete strangers show up atour camp saying they're going to fix our ship with nothing but primitive tools,”

“Looks fixed t' me,” Robbie said with a chuckle, tilting his head towards the Persephone. Keatonreddened further, his eyes glazing over with righteous fury.

"What exactly are you doing back here? Hmm? Without the women? You brought this useless dogbut not- Keaton pointed down at Duck, who interrupted him by licking his hand and leaving a trailof slime along the cuff of Keaton's coat. “Ugh!”

“There's a lot to explain,” I said, running my fingers through my hair. How the hell was I supposed toexplain everything that had happened?

“Obviously! And what's wrong with you, Rob?” Keaton stepped forward, giving Robbie a quizzicaleye. It was unlike Robbie to sulk.

“Robbie has a girlfriend”

"I found my mate.”

I nearly snapped my neck turning to face him. Keaton and I stared at Robbie, jaws slack incommunal shock.

“I'm

gonna stay behind.” Robbie tucked his hands into his pockets, rocking on his heels.

I looked at Keaton, who looked at me, and we broke into peels of laughter.

But Robbie wasn't laughing.

“Wait, you're serious?” Keaton wiped a tear from his eye, his face falling as Robbie's cheekspinkened with mingled embarrassment and dismay

“Robbie?” I coaxed, my stomach tightening to a knot. Robbie had been markedly absent duringmost of our stay in Dianny, but Myla had made it seem like he was merely enjoying himself, not thathe had a mate somewhere in the city.

"Aye, it's true. Her name is Alison. And she won't leave Dianny. I'm gonna stay back while you guys,well, chase the stones.”

“Chase the what? Wait a minute-" Keaton began.

"Keaton, look-" I interrupted, holding my hands up in surrender, "We're going through the southernpassage. All the way through. There's an island

“Oh, no, no, no, Hold on just a minute — Keaton took a step forward. “You're staying behind? Andyou" He turned to me, pointing his finger accusingly. “Are not the captain of the Persephone. Whosaid you get to dictate

“I'm the second captain,” I said, pausing to clear my throat. Now or never. “And if we don't gothrough the pass, Maeve's mother is going to

die.”

*...50? What does that have to do with the Persephone and my crew?”

“If we don't go through the pass and replace Lycaon’s Tomb,” i continued, reaching out and grabbinghis hand, folding his pointed finger back into place, All hell is going to break loose.”

Keaton pulled his fist back and swung at me. I reared back, dodging his blow, and then bent myhead to rush him.

But suddenly Robbie was between us, holding us at arm's length by the collars of our shirts. Heslammed us together, my nose cracking against Keaton's forehead. “I'm staying,” he said calmly asKeaton and I staggered backwards. “I've been breaking up your fights since we were lads. I've donemy time. Better start getting along now.”

I rubbed my nose, glaring at Keaton, who was holding his head in his hands and hissing in pain. Istraightened up, happy to be the first to regain my composure as Keaton continued to try to get agrip on his own.

“I was hoping you were abandoning this treasure hunt, Troy!” Keaton said, spitting into the sand ashe straightened up.

“Not a bit. It's even more imperative that we replace the tomb now, before someone else does.”

"And what if we don't? You've heard the stories about the Pass. Treading water in the southernchannel is one thing, Troy. Going through is a death sentence. No one ever comes back.”

"We will,” I said quickly, “We don't have a choice.”

"And you're really leaving us, Rob? You're sure?” Keaton turned to Robbie, squinting into the sun tolook up at him. Robbie only nodded.

Keaton sighed deeply, looking at us for a long time. Then he straightened up, planting his hands onhis hips. “The only reason I'm letting any of this continue is because of Myla.”

"Not because we are likely to be blacklisted from doing any type of business in the pack lands forthe foreseeable future?” I said with a smirk.

*And whose fault is that?” Keaton said, his eyes dancing with menace.

“Mutual fault,” Robbie replied before I could even open my mouth, “We should have never gotteninto business with Damian in the first place.

Robbie was right, of course. But I stole a glance at Keaton, who tilted his head, considering.

None of us would've met our mates had it not been for Damian. We had to give the man that.Maeve

"What happens now?” Pete tossed a bag into the boat, looking over his shoulder at the group ofonlookers standing along the edge of the

lake.

*What you'll miss all the attention?” Myla waved her hand in dismissal, stepping into the boat andsitting down on one of the benches. She ran her hands along the wooden hull, admiring thecraftsmanship. Pete scowled, picking up the last bag of supplies.

"We're famous here,” I said sarcastically, reaching up to tie my hair into a bun on the top of myhead. It had been a full day since Troy and Robbie left to go back to camp. Robbie had returned inthe morning, relaying a message from Keaton and Troy that Troy would be waiting for us at thebeach instead of coming to fetch us from Dianny.

Robbie had also told us he would be staying behind, and I could see why. He was standing alongthe shore of the lake, his arm around a tiny blonde woman with dainty features. She was thephysical opposite of Robbie, but somehow, the two of them fit like a glove standing side by side. Ifelt a pang of regret at the sight. Robbie, Keaton, and Troy had been all they had growing up. Theywere a family. A pack.

“In you go, Princess,” said one of Una’s warriors as he extended his hand to help me into the oddwooden boat. It was incredibly long and sturdy, carved out of a single tree that must have beenmassive and ancient, given the size of the boat. The three of us, plus two of Una’s men, fitcomfortably inside.

“How long of a trip is it to the camp?” Myla asked as the first warrior climbed into the boat, sittingtowards the back with his pair of oars draped over his lap.

“An hour to cross the lake, another two or three to float down the river to the shore,” he answered."And then we row along the coast? That seems dangerous!” Myla said, her shoulders tighteningwith nerves.

* That's what you're worried about, after everything that happened here?” Pete quipped, sittingdown on the bench beside Myla. I let out my breath, looking out over the crowd of onlookers.

I spotted Una in the crowd, Tasia by her side. They caught my eye, nodding soberly as I gave them asoft, knowing smile.

How had been caught up in this web of myth and lore? What were once fanciful children’s taleswere coming to life, overwhelming me. Una had called it my destiny, but I wasn't so sure. Wasreplaceing the missing moonstones truly my life's path?

Una herself had said she had reservations about the moonstones being brought together, none ofus knowing what would happen when they did eventually combine.

And as I sat in the strange boat looking at Una and Tasia, mother and daughter, I wondered if I hadmade the right choice by choosing to replace the stones over warning my parents of upcoming danger.But what had my choices truly been? To try to go back home, risking capture by Damian? No, thatwasn't an option. I couldn't return to Winter Forest without the moonstones. They were the onlyway to save my mother's life and prevent the prophecy from taking hold and dismantling the packlands.

The boat began to move away from the shore, the two warriors pulling us forward with their oars.We glided soundlessly across the still, turquoise water until Dianny was just a speck in thebackground, and the jungle enveloped us once again.

Myla and Pete were talking in hushed voices as we bobbed gently in the clear, depthless water. Thewarriors were silent, focused on the task. I felt alone with only my thoughts.

But I wasn't alone, not really. My hands went instinctively to my stomach as I looked out over thewater.

I was pregnant. And Una had told me I was having not one, but two sons.

I swallowed, closing my eyes and imagining them snuggled inside of me, tiny orbs within my womb.And I hadn't had a chance to talk to Troy about it before he left for the beach camp. Did he know?Had Una told him the same thing she had told me?

My life at the castle of Drogomor felt like a lifetime ago, but the day I met Troy in the market wasclear and vivid in my mind. Would I have done things differently if I had known then what I knownow?

“No,” I whispered, the word for my ears only.

Troy was more to me now than just a breeder. He had always been more.

And now, he was the father of my children.

I looked up as the water began to move more swiftly, the boat rocking as we entered the river. Ilooked back, seeing the red mountains rising in the distance, the outline of the moon still visible inthe clear, blue sky.