Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder
Chapter 294

Chapter 74:

The Moon Goddess Took Her Mate’s Life on Her Twenty-First Birthday

Maeve

Myla tilted her head toward the beach, but I didn't see him anywhere. “He's here?” I asked, my voicecatching as my chest tightened with hope.

Damian's warriors were fighting for their lives all around me. Every member of the crew of thePersephone had shifted now, and the battle was moving off the beach as they pushed Damianwarriors back against the rocky bluff to our backs.

Myla was glued to my side, guarding me, snarling anytime an enemy got near enough to be withinlunging distance.

“We need to get you on a skiff,’ said Myla over the mind-link, and I looked down at her, adrenalineprickling across my skin. “Some birthday, am I right?"

“Birthday?” I said aloud, then I felt the knot in my stomach loosen, the realization that it was, in fact,my birthday hitting me. It was just past midnight. I was twenty-one.

"Where's Troy?" I said again, my heart beating so rapidly ! thought it might come out of my chest,forgetting about Opaline all together. I looked down at Myla, tears welling in the corners of myeyes. “Where is he?’ I said over the mind-link, fear creeping through my body. Did I have powers? Ilooked down at my hands, curling them into fists. Could .... shift?

“He's fine, he made it back to us. He wasn't sure where they took you, but we were alreadypreparing to go replace you both. He’ s probably just wrapping up the details of what unfolded herewith Keaton,” Myla said as she turned, tilting her head towards the edge of the bluff.

I could see him, in his human form now, dressed again, speaking to Keaton. He had shifted back,too, and was pulling a shirt over his shoulders. I wanted to run to him, but I knew he must be busyor else he'd already have made his way to me.

It was quiet now. The battle was over in a matter of minutes. Myla was trotting across the beachback toward the skiff, shifting back into her human form and pulling her dress over her head,smoothing the fabric over her thighs.

“This felt too easy, Maeve! Damian only had seven warriors? That was it?" Myla asked when shereturned to me.

I shrugged, wrapping my arms around myself as a cool breeze drifted in off the water.

“Besides him... and Rex and Opaline, so nine or ten people total. I'm not totally sure.”

Myla looked around suspiciously, her gaze settling on mine. “Who's Rex?”

“Did Troy not explain?”

“He was stuck in the tomb for three days, in one of the collapsed tunnels at the dig site. Pete cameback and led us to the tomb. We spent an entire day trying to remove the rocks from the openingof the tomb, and he just showed up behind us one day, having come out of another tunnel. He dughis way out.”

"He dug his way out?” I gasped, looking over my shoulder at Troy, who was staring right at me as hecontinued to talk to Keaton.

He hadn't come over to me yet, and based on the look on his face, I wondered if he was keeping hisdistance on purpose.

TE

The moon was shining down on us, the sky dappled with stars. Myla walked past me toward whereDamian's body lay sprawled out on the sand, his throat stained red with blood. She picked up hisarm, turning his watch towards me.

“It's 12:23," she said with a soft smile, letting his arm drop. “Happy Birthday, Maeve.”

“Thanks,” I said, attempting to sound grateful as I grimaced down at Damian, trying not to thinkabout his last words, and then Opaline’s words of warning. Where was she, anyway?

I could feel Troy's gaze on my skin as I looked back over to him. He was walking with his hands inhis pockets behind Keaton and Pete as they made their way back to the beach. Troy looked up atme, eyes sparkling in the moonlight.

He was close enough for me to see the way the moon turned his eyes a deep, navy blue and a softsteel gray. He was wearing one of loose white shirts and it rippled in the breeze as he neared.What was I supposed to feel, if he were my mate? Myla and Gemma had barely explained it to me,too wrapped up in their own feelings to help me understand. I already knew his scent. His touchalready set my skin on fire with lust. I was drawn to him like a magnet, but those things had feltnormal, not destined. I had felt them long before I turned twenty-one.

“Should I try to shift?” I asked Myla.

She looked me up and down, shaking her head. “You should talk to my mom first, before you doanything.”

I nodded, uncertainty tightening my chest as Troy stopped to talk to one of the crewmen, turninghis head back toward me as if in slow motion.

PARO

A scream broke the silence of the beach, the sound echoing through the cove. I saw a flash ofblonde flying from between the trees, then Pete and Keaton were running to Troy's side.

Troy was looking right at me, his face twisted in a confused expression as he placed his hand overthe center of his chest. Pete had wrestled someone to the ground behind him, and Keaton hadgrabbed Troy by the shoulders, catching him as he collapsed to his knees on the sand.

If I had screamed, I didn't hear it. I was running but barely felt the ground beneath my feet. I fell tomy knees next to Troy, taking his face between my hands “Troy!”

“WATCH OUT!" Pete cried, just as something hit me across the face, and I fell backward into thesand. I heard Myla scream with fury, spraying sand as she sprinted after Opaline, who had brokenfree from Pete and Keaton somehow and was taking off toward the skiffs with a large stick in herhands. My vision blurred, the starry sky above me quivering as it began to spin.

"Maeve? Maeve! Look at me! L-look at me right now! I need you!" Keaton was smacking me on thecheek, making my eyes water. I reached up to touch the wound on my forehead, wet with blood.“Oh...”

"Get up, GET UP!

I blinked into the darkness; my vision obscured by the blood trickling down from my forehead.“Troy? Hey-hey, man just wait... Wait a minute. Maeve. Maeve! Listen to me. Please, don“t-don't passout!” Keaton was desperate as he pulled me upright tilting my head to look down at Troy.

His breathing was coming in gurgling rasps, his eyes half open. My throat tightened as I stifled asob, my head pounding so violently I felt like it was going to split in half. “Troy?” I said in a faintwhisper, reaching down to touch him. “You're-you're cold

"Go back to Winter Forest,” he said with considerable effort, his lips barely moving.

"We're going to go back together”

His mouth twitched into a smile, his left cheek dimpling.

“Both of us are going, Troy, we're going to get on the boat now

—" I said, coming back to reality. His shirt was black with blood, the crimson liquid soaking throughthe gaps between his fingers where his hands lay against his chest.

Topened my mouth to speak but could only muster a choked cry.

“1-1 know. It's going to be okay. K-Keaton? Keaton?" I looked around, searching frantically in thedark for Keaton’s form. I felt his hand in mine suddenly, and he lifted it into the moonlight, his knifein the other hand. “Do it," I said weakly, swallowing against the fear welling inside of me that wastelling me my powers weren't strong enough to save him.

Keaton’s blade met my hand, and I squeezed my fingers around it, not even wincing at the pain. Iheld my hand over Troy's mouth, my blood falling onto his lower lip.

“Please,” I prayed, taking his face between my hands once again.

"Maeve?"

“I'm here.”

“I'm not going to make it this time.”

: I felt my world shatter at his words which were laced with cold

finality.

"Yes, you are,” I retorted, trying to smile. Tears were falling down my cheeks, running along my jawbefore they dropped onto his shirt. I could see the blood beginning to soak into the sand beneathhim, and then I knew.

(Lv.1

He was right

“Tell me about Winter Forest,” Troy said softly.

I bit my lip, trying to hold myself together. Keaton’s hand came down on my shoulder, squeezinggently, his other hand resting on Troy's leg.

“It's-It's cold there, but it feels nice. Crisp, and clean. In the winter the snow piles up against thebuildings and we used to... used to slide down the snow chutes on flattened cardboard boxes. We—we-"1 choked on my tears, not daring to close my eyes lest he take his last breath while they wereclosed. “The sky is almost purple there, violet, especially when it starts to get dark. The mountainsturn pink in the evening when the sun sets. It's... it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I can't-Ican't wait for you to see it.”

“Maeve?” he breathed; his voice edged with fear.

“1-I'm here. We both are. Keaton Keaton and I.”

Keaton took a strained breath, a moan of absolute despair escaping his lips.

“I can’t do this without you, Troy!” I sobbed, running my fingers through his hair.

“I'm always going to be here,” Troy whispered, his voice barely,

audible. "You won't be alone.”

ESS

“I want you to stay-"

“I can't.”

"Please try!" I knew my words weren't registering any longer.

TL

His eyes were fluttering as he tried to keep them open, his breathing becoming more and moreshallow. His fingers twitched as though he were trying to move his hands, and Keaton quickly bentover me, his body hugging mine as he took Troy's hand and brought it to my face. Troy's mouthflexed into a brief smile as I leaned into his touch, my tears wet against his hand.

He took one more pained gasp, and then he stopped breathing.

He was gone.

I was in shock for a moment, unable to process the scene before me. I felt incredibly despair andindescribable pain. And then hot, uncontrollable fury.

“This is what she meant, wasn't it?" I said under my breath, my mouth trembling around my wordsto the Goddess. “When she she said I would never know my mate it was because... because youwere going to take him from me? Wasn't it? That's what she f*cking meant!”

“Maeve-" Keaton's voice was in my ear, his hand still pressing Troy's hand to my cheek.

I shook my head, Troy's hand slipping from Keaton’s grasp and falling into the sand, his palmtowards the sky.

“You broke me!” I screamed into the night, oblivious to the small crowd that had gathered aroundus. “You took my mate. You took him! I won't know my wolf because you've shattered ev everythingI've ever loved. 1-1-1 hate you. I HATE YOU!" I was losing control. If Keaton hadn't been holding metight enough to keep my arms pinned to my sides, I would have swung at him just to feelsomething other than the splintering agony that was ripping me apart from the inside out.

“Get her out of here,” Keaton’s voice sounded far away, and I felt Cleo’s comforting hand on myshoulder, urging me to come with her, to move

I straightened my back, flexing every muscle in my body to prevent them from picking me up fromtaking me away.

A hush fell over the group, a single quiet murmur of surprise weaving between us as I finally blinkedaway my grief and looked around at the tear-stained faces surrounding me. Everyone was lookingdown at Troy.

I looked down at him too, taking in every line and curve of his face, wishing his eyes were open so Icould see them, one last time.

But then I saw it.

A small stone the color of the moon itself was lodged in the palm of his hand between two of hisfingers. It was stained with blood from where his hand had been resting against my face, close tothe wound I sustained from Opaline’s attack.

I watched as it began to glow as though he were holding the moon within his hand, and then I letout my breath, closing my eyes as I collapsed into Keaton's arms.