Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 131: At Your Service

“Come with me. I have something for you before you return to His Majesty. It might help,” Alpha

Ellsworth said, motioning for me to follow him.

He led me to his office, where I'd first met him. I stood near the door while he rummaged through his

desk drawers. For a few minutes, I thought he was just trying to get me alone to tell me how he really

felt about the trick Brook and I had played.

“Ahh, here it is. I think this might help against Luther," he handed me a photo from across his desk.

I examined the picture closely. There was a girl about four or five years old in the picture. She had

pigtails tied with pink ribbons and was wearing a little sundress. Her face was bright with a big smile.

Beside her was a young boy, maybe about ten years old. He had a goofy grin and large feet. He looked

lanky and awkward, like he hadn’t fully grown into himself, but he looked familiar.

“Who are they?"

“That's Luther at age eight and his younger sister when she was only four. Anna, his sister, died

tragically when she was eight and when Luther was twelve,' he explained.

“That's... truly awful. I don't understand how this could help. Do you think Luther is sentimental?" I

asked, turning the photo back toward Ellsworth.

“My wife's sister worked in the Ortiz pack, before their demise. She took that picture. Unfortunately,

when Luther lost his pack and loved ones, especially his sister, he went crazy with a need for revenge."

"Luther... is also a victim,' I whispered, placing my hand over my heart. "I knew he lost a lot when

Sebastian destroyed his pack...'

"Unfortunately, that's not the worst of it."

"What do you mean?' My heart tightened in my chest. What could possibly be worse than Sebastian

murdering all of Luther's family, including his eight-year-old sister.

“When Sebastian attacked the Ortiz pack, Luther was only twelve years old. He tried to stand up to

Sebastian after most of the warriors were killed. Sebastian thought it was funny and made a deal with

Luther. If he killed his eight-year-old sister, with his own hand, Sebastian would leave the rest of Ortiz

alone,' Ellsworth told me.

My jaw dropped and I stared at him. That was the cruelest thing I'd ever heard! I knew Sebastian was

ruthless and cruel but I couldn't think of something more horrid. He had made a murderous deal with a

child, one that twelve-year-old Luther couldn't possibly understand. And, true to form, he chose the

meanest way to punish Luther.

"Luther, thinking of his pack, did what Sebastian ordered of him. The way he saw it, sacrificing his

sister would save the pack. Well, we all know Sebastian isn’t known for keeping his word.” Alpha

Ellsworth's voice dropped into a deep, low whisper, almost like he was too afraid to speak the words

aloud.

"Don't tell me..." I gasped.

“That's right. Sebastian didn't keep his word and he wiped out the rest of the Ortiz pack. Of course, he

left Luther alive to live with the horrible decision he was forced to make. Luther has been twisted ever

since,* he sighed heavily.

No wonder Luther wanted revenge!

If I were him, I probably would also commit the rest of my life to hunting down the cruel king and his

crown!

***

*Theo*

When Luther's Shadow warriors were on the move, I had my scouts keep tabs on them. They were

heading toward a valley near the palace. I wanted to cut them off before they got too close and caused

any real damage.

My army assembled on the opposite side of the valley, waiting for Luther's Shadow to come into view.

When they arrived, Luther stopped his troops and headed to the center of the valley. I held an arm up

to my warriors and I joined Luther in the Valley.

"Are you ready to determine who is truly the right match for the throne?' Luther asked, arching an

eyebrow at me.

"I don't want to fight today, Luther."

I crossed my arms firmly and kept my hands tucked away so no one could use my power against me

like my mother had tried to do.

"Why is that? Are you feeling a little down? I don't see Ciana anywhere, did she finally come to her

senses and abandon you, just like your siblings?' he sneered, taunting me.

I gritted my teeth. It was a low blow. I knew that Ciana hadn't abandoned me but Luther wasn't wrong

about Maggie and Warren.

"Like I said, no one could ever live with a hideous monster like you. You and your bloodline are all

monsters and are all doomed. Today, the Goddess will finally bring justice to the world," he boomed,

holding his arms out to the sides and looking up at the sky.

Behind him, Luther's troops whooped and cheered at his declaration.

I scoffed and shook my head. "Sebastian has paid for what he did. I am working with the royal court to

make up for all the packs that suffered because of his cruelty. There is no need to oppose me."

"Then why are you here with an army?” Luther countered, snarling at me.

"I'm here to protect my people and you have no authority to judge me. You have no right to determine

the fate of the throne, or my fate for that matter,' I insisted, glaring at him.

Jake joined us in the valley with two of my subordinates, Axel and Silas. He glared at Luther and stood

at my side.

"The troops are ready to attack. They are just waiting for your word,” Jake reported.

Axel was worried. "Beta Jake, we are outnumbered. We can't win this fight."

"Luther might have higher numbers but our army is specially trained. They are the best trained warriors

in the country. One of ours could fight five of theirs," Jake explained.

"Numbers still help," Axel muttered, shoving his toe into the dirt.

"Yes, they do. If we wait too much longer, more reinforcements could arrive and tip the scales in

Luther's favor even more," Jake added.

I held my hand up to stop the discussion. "Let's wait."

Jake glanced at me and arched an eyebrow. He opened his mouth and then closed it, hesitating over

whatever was on his mind.

"Spill it," I growled.

"I overheard Alpha Larry and Alpha Brad-'

"The Alphas of the western region?' I clarified, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes," Jake nodded. "They are reconsidering whether to support the crown or Luther. Several packs

seem to be soldiering on altering their support based on who is more likely to win. At the end of the

war, they want to be on the side of the winner so they don't face retaliation."

"And they assume it will be Luther?" I pondered aloud.

"Based on the numbers, they are starting to. If more reinforcements arrive, our support will dwindle

rapidly," he said.

"Still, hold off for now. People chose to support Luther because they think I am a bloodthirsty tyrant who

will kill for no reason. If I make the first move, we'll be doing exactly what Luther wants," I explained. "It

will confirm everyone's fears. Even if we win the battle, it would lose the war because those remaining

would lose faith in the royal court.'

"Faith in the royal court can be restored, as long as we win. But if we lose or do nothing, Luther will be

sitting on that throne," Jake argued, pointing toward the palace.

"Perhaps. I'm not convinced this day will end in a battle. In fact, I want to avoid the war altogether. It

doesn't matter who wins or loses, there will be thousands of casualties, and that is not what I want for

the country."

"Spoken like a true king,” Jake sighed. "As you wish, Your Majesty."

I patted him on the shoulder to show him how appreciative I was that he always had my back.

"What's the hold up over there?" Luther shouted to our group, "Plotting the fastest way to kill all your

opposers?'

Growling, Jake rounded on him. "His Majesty is not going to kill anyone today!"

"Is that so? You have a huge army standing there because you're not going to kill anyone?” he taunted,

rolling his eyes.

“Your army approached the palace. This is a defense maneuver," Jake explained. "I thought someone

as intelligent and strategic as you would recognize a defensive position."

Luther sneered and shook his head. "You've clearly got the advantage now. Why not attack me and

end this? You know I'll have reinforcements arriving soon, then you won' t stand a chance."

"Luther," I responded with a leveled tone, "your provocation is not going to work on me."

Again, Luther snarled. He started taunting me with names but I tuned him out and returned to my

camp. I wasn't going to be goaded into attacking first. Luther was going to say whatever he thought

would make me lose control and attack.

I wasn't going to let him set the pace, no matter how many times he called me selfish and vicious. His

words meant nothing unless I proved him right, and I wouldn't.

A scout ran up to our small huddle, face red and completely winded. He clutched his side like he had a

cramp. He sputtered a little before he was able to speak.

"Your Majesty, we spotted an army of fifty thousand troops approaching. It looks like another troop of

multiple packs,” he reported.

"Who is leading this new army?" I asked.

"Alpha Demarco Cedar of Venar pack,” the scout said.

"Damn!" Jake hissed.

"Did you say Alpha Demarco!?" Luther shouted from behind us, laughing maniacally. Obviously, he also

got a report from his own scout. "Those are my reinforcements. Theo, today is the end of your short

rule!"

A ripple went through the Shadow and through my army at Luther's announcement. Whoever was in

my army that was wavering in their support would flee the moment they saw how large Demarco's

reinforcements were.

"Shit, this is bad. Demarco has long been Luther's ally. We missed our window to attack," Jake cursed

under his breath.

Fifty thousand was a large reinforcement. Perhaps we could have scraped by before but now, the

situation was dire. There was no winning with Demarco joining Luther.

Demarco's troops lined the valley between my army and Luthers.

"Demarco, my friend. You've arrived just in time,” Luther laughed. He walked toward Demarco, arms

outstretched like he was going to hug him.

Demarco held his hands up and stepped away from Luther. There was a clear wall around him. He

wasn't the same loyal Luther supporterthat I'd seen the last time we met.

"I'm only here for answers about Maggie. I’m not going to fight for either side," Demarco declared.

"What do you mean, my friend," Luther frowned, "You're betraying our alliance?! Have you forgotten

everything I've done for you?"

Demarco kept his cool and replied mildly, "I'm not betraying you because while I'm not here to fight for

you, I'm also not here to fight against you."

Luther sneered, 'That still doesn't change the fact that you're nothing but a traitor!"

"Luther!" A clear, crisp female voice called out across the valley.

Luther immediately stopped shouting.

"I thought your mission was to bring peace and justice and you preached that everyone who joined you

would be fighting of their free will. If that's true, why are you here? Your army has surrounded the

capitol and you're threatening to attack the royal court, not the other way around!"

My heart fluttered and a smile tugged at my lips. That voice was sweet music to my ears.

Ciana came toward us, her face hard and confident as she glared at Luther, challenging his entire

reason for opposing me.

"Also, why are you condemning Demarco? All he did was stay neutral... or did that really bother you

just because he didn't do exactly what you expected?"

I watched her stride toward us, her chin held high. There were light bags under her eyes, like she was

exhausted from her travels, but as soon as she stood there, she attracted all the attention of the crowd.

She smiled confidently, not a bit afraid of facing Luther.

She was different somehow—more mature and confident, more incredible! She never ceased to amaze

me with what she could accomplish when she put her mind to it.

Ciana turned to me and beamed. She dropped down on one knee and bowed her head to me in loyalty

and submission.

"King Theo, I, Ciana Black of Alvar Pack, am here with the support and warriors of twenty allied packs.

We are at your service."