Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder
Chapter 618

Chapter 118 : Let's Find Our Alpha

*Lena*®

Being a wolf was not what I had expected. And for someone who was the freaking Moon Goddessreincarnate, I was really struggling to get the hang of it.

The island of Cantorina was situated in the Isles of Denali, and it was the closest we could get toBreles by plane at the moment. We were waiting for a boat to pick us up and take us the rest of theway, but it was absolutely dumping rain while we waited, and there was no way in hell even thestealthiest cruiser was going to make it into the shallow cove we were sheltering in with thisweather.

Waves pounded the shore, stirring the powder-fine sand. I pulled my shawl a little tighter aroundmy shoulders as I huffed a breath and watched the white cap waves beat the living hell out of thecove.

We'd been stuck here for twelve hours. I was starting to rethink my agreement to stay with Maeveand replace help with what I needed to do. I was wasting precious time.

Night was falling again, but there would be no sunset tonight.

I'd spent the last several hours in my wolf form, canvasing the island and getting used to being onall fours. I could admit that I was a beautiful wolf, a silvery white with a long, glossy coat and lots offluff. I stared at my reflection in a shallow pool I'd found for a long time, marveling at thetransformation.

My striking good looks were all that I had going for me at the moment, however. I was clumsy andslow, barely able to run faster than a jog without tripping over a rock or even my own feet. Maeveassured me it would take time to get used to it, but she'd also told me about her first experienceshifting, and she had apparently taken off like a rocket.

I came back, in my human form and dressed, to the stately home we were sheltering in which wasbuilt into the cliffside overlooking the water. The family that lived there were apparently goodfriends of Maeve's, and we'd been fed and offered beds and whatever else we needed.

They even offered to have their twin daughters, who were only a few years older than me, go out ona run with me, but I'd refused. I needed to figure this out for myself, come hell or high water.

And right now, it was high water. And hell was just forty miles west.

Maeve was sitting on the upper deck, which by the grace of the Goddess was covered and screenedfrom the rain. She was drinking scotch, and not slowly, her eyes rimmed with red.

"Any news?" I asked.

She swallowed a mouthful of her drink and nodded, clearing her throat as the liquid no doubtburned on the way down. “I spoke to Troy," she said with a sigh of relief. “A boat will be here withinthe hour, but that means we'll reach Breles after dark and... it's unlikely they'll let us come ashore,not until morning."

“I thought they were able to take back part of the city?"

“They were, and the attacks are... there are fewer and fewer vampires coming to the edge of Brelesevery night, from what he said.” She paused, setting her glass of scotch down again, and thenthought better of it, drinking the rest in one swallow.

“What's the matter, Aunt Maeve?"

“Oliver and Xander saved... I don't even know how to describe what they've done, what they wereable to do. But somehow they made it to Crimson Creek and killed an entire legion of the vampirearmy using fire and gasoline, preventing them from attacking Breles again. Our armies had an entirenight of peace, of much needed rest." Her voice wavered. This should have been good news, greatnews. But something hung heavy in her voice that sent a chill up my spine.

“What happened to Xander?" I asked, but I already knew. Her eyes met mine, a glimmer of moisturelining her lower lashes.

"He's gone. Oliver believes he was taken through the portal.”

I chewed the inside of my cheeks as I sat down at the patio table across from her, folding my handsin my lap.

"He knows what he's doing,” I said shakily, but Maeve sucked in her breath, blowing it back outagain.

I could do nothing but stare out at the turbulent water as Maeve described what Oliver and Xanderhad accomplished, and the tragedy that followed. Oliver had woken up in Breles, panic stricken andfrantic. He'd almost died. He should have been dead. Xander's warriors who had gone to CrimsonCreek with them had found Oliver practically crushed inside a truck the next morning, unconscious,and Xander was nowhere to be found.

Oliver told his father everything, and now an allied force was guarding the portal day in and dayout, killing any and all vampires who crossed through when night fell. It was working, and couldhave signaled the end of the conflict if the vampires hadn't been crossing through the realms usingthe bloodstone, creating small fissures that closed up within minutes.

“Oliver told Troy that the last thing he remembers was feeling like a blanket was wrapping aroundhim, shielding him from whatever took Xander,” Maeve concluded.

I didn't wipe the tears away. My heart was beating slow, too broken to react. I felt numb, weightless,like I was simply existing and incapable of feeling.

If Oliver had been that hurt, so hurt that even his powers of healing couldn't heal himself, Xanderwould have been just as hurt if not more so.

Would I have felt it if he died in another realm?

I reached up to absently touch the mark above my breast, and I felt nothing.

“I need to go to Crimson Creek," I said without looking at her.

“l know."

“You can't stop me from going-"

“I won't," Maeve replied, her voice firm and steady. “I wouldn't stop you. No one will stop you.""What about my dad?" I asked, glancing at her.

Maeve's lips pursed, her gaze fixed on her empty glass. “He won't know. Not until you're already onyour way."

I nodded, blinking back a fresh wave of tears as I looked out over the water once more. Fog washeavy on the water now. Whatever boat they were sending, well, all I could do was pray that theyhad a stellar navigation system on board.

Nothing was going to prevent me from finishing this, from saving my mate.

Or avenging his death.

Oliver drank deeply from a metal canteen, his eyes lined with purple and green bruises that lookedalmost unreal. I'd never seen anyone look so beaten before, not in my life. His major wounds hadhealed but left severe bruising all over his body. He was shirtless, sitting up on a cot in a windblowncanvas tent just outside the port of Breles, his eyes shadowed by pain and fatigue.

“You need rest-"

“I'm going with you," he retorted, effectively ending whatever argument I'd been planning to start. Ihad been in Breles for less than an hour. I'd been escorted to Uncle Troy's tent and given newclothes, thick and warm thermals and armor made of steel and leather. Maeve quickly braided myhair and wound the braid into a bun at the nape of my neck, fixing a black beanie over my strikingwhite hair. A belt heavy with knives like the ones we'd been given in Brune hung from my waist.

I'd left the tent the second I was dressed and suited up for whatever battle I'd face on my journey toCrimson Creek.

My heart squeezed painfully when Troy asked if I'd at least see my dad before I left. I couldn't. Icouldn't for more reasons than the fact he would fight me tooth and nail when he found out what Imeant to do. I hadn't seen him in months in reality, even if it felt like only a few weeks had passedto me.

But he'd been at war. He'd seen things I couldn't fathom. I was afraid that when I looked into hiseyes I would see nothing but a void of death and exhaustion, any shred of the kind, loving man he'dbeen before the war-a war I could have finished before it started-erased.

It was my fault he was here.

Oliver waved his hand in front of my face, and I reared back, clearing my throat as the motion brokeme from my heartbreaking internal reflection.

“I'm leaving now," I said, standing up as he started reaching for his clothes.

"Give me five minutes. I can get us a truck, or something.”

“Xander's warriors are going to escort us. They already have something lined up.”

"Ah, Johnny and Colton? Meatheads, those two. More brawn than brains—"

"Will you just get dressed?" I snapped, then mumbled an apology.

Oliver didn't snap back at me like he normally would have. He was just as resigned as I was as hegot dressed and pulled on his armor and gear. I stole a glance at his battered legs and winced as Ilooked away. I could see where his legs had been crushed and broken at one point. Injuries like thatwould have killed the average shifter instantly.

Oliver wasn't average, not a bit.

"You're really going in?"

"Yes," I said without hesitation.

“Cool. I was hoping you'd say that,” he said, and I looked up at him, our eyes locking on each other.“You're not going to do this alone, Lena. I promise. Xander was-is... he is my friend.”

“Thank you," I whispered, the words all I could muster as I swallowed back the fractured emotionthreatening to take over my calculated, calm reserve.

Remain emotionless, void, resigned. Hide your fear, your anguish, your worry.

Bottle it all up, and put a bow on it, and give it all to the king when you shred him into pieces withyour powers.

I let out my breath as Oliver finished dressing, and we turned to leave his tent. It was pitch black,nothing but the muted lantern light of passing warriors to guide us to where I was supposed tomeet John and Colton.

We reached the very edge of the war camp where the front lines were stationed, but idle. Beyondwere the ruins of Breles, nothing but rubble and shadow against the starry horizon.

“I thought I'd be seeing you again,” came a familiar voice through the darkness, and I turned to replaceGideon leaning against a truck, his arms crossed over my chest.

I wasn't a hugger, but that was exactly what I did. I ran to him and threw my arms around his chestand nearly lost control of the tears that were threatening to spill down my cheeks.

Two men I didn't recognize were standing with Gideon. I assumed they were John and Colton,Xander's warriors. They bowed their heads to me, and I felt a shock roll over my skin at the gesture.“Luna,” John said, meeting my eye as he straightened up.

Luna. I was, at least... I would be. I would be the Luna of Egoren.

“Let's go replace our Alpha,” I said firmly, and so we did.