Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

A scream broke the silence of the beach, the sound echoing through the cove. I saw a flash of blonde

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 over the

center of his chest. Pete had wrestled someone to the ground behind him, and Keaton had grabbed 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 to my

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 the sand. I

heard Myla scream with fury, spraying sand as she sprinted after Opaline, who had broken free from

Pete and Keaton somehow and was taking off toward the skiffs with a large stick in her hands. 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 the

cheek, 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 pass

out!” 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 a sob, my

head pounding so violently I felt like it was going to split in half. “Troy?” I said in a faint whisper, 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 through the

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 the dark

for Keaton’s form. I felt his hand in mine suddenly, and he lifted it into the moonlight, his knife in the other

hand. “Do it,” I said weakly, swallowing against the fear welling inside of me that was telling 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. I held

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 jaw

before they dropped onto his shirt. I could see the blood beginning to soak into the sand beneath him,

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, squeezing gently,

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 the buildings

and we used to… used to slide down the snow chutes on flattened cardboard boxes. We–we-“I choked

on my tears, not daring to close my eyes lest he take his last breath while they were closed. “The sky is

almost purple there, violet, especially when it starts to get dark. The mountains turn pink in the evening

when the sun sets. It’s… it’s the most beautiful thing I‘ve ever seen. I can’t-I can’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!” | 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 more shallow.

His fingers twitched as though he were trying to move his hands, and Keaton quickly bent over me, his

body hugging mine as he took Troy’s hand and brought it to my face. Troy’s mouth flexed 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 and

indescribable pain. And then hot, uncontrollable fury.

“This is what she meant, wasn’t it?” I said under my breath, my mouth trembling around my words to the

Goddess. “When she she said I would never know my mate it was because… because you were 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 palm towards

the sky.

“You broke me!” I screamed into the night, oblivious to the small crowd that had gathered around us.

“You took my mate. You took him! I won’t know my wolf because you’ve shattered ev everything I’ve ever

loved. 1-1-1 hate you. I HATE YOU!” I was losing control. If Keaton hadn’t been holding me tight enough

to keep my arms pinned to my sides, I would have swung at him just to feel something 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 my shoulder,

urging me to come with her, to move.

| straightened my back, flexing every muscle in my body to prevent them from picking me up from taking

me away.

A hush fell over the group, a single quiet murmur of surprise weaving between us as I finally blinked

away my grief and looked around at the tear-stained faces surrounding me. Everyone was looking down

at Troy.

I looked down at him too, taking in every line and curve of his face, wishing his eyes were open so I

could 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 his fingers.

It was stained with blood from where his hand had been resting against my face, close to the 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 let out my

breath, closing my eyes as I collapsed into Keaton’s arms.