Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 82 : I’m Coming for You

*Xander*

The girl's name was Sasha, and she hadn't let go of my hand for the last eight days.

Blonde, blue-eyed, and innocent, she had no idea what was going on or the level of c*****e we'd left

behind when I'd carried her out of the forest. Even now, she seemed oblivious, perfectly content in the

arms of strangers as she sat in my lap on the ferry as we neared the port of Avondale.

It was the closest we could get to Breles. We'd left the coast of Finadli from a small port town called

Porthaven, and had been on the ferry for several days now. The journey out of Cedar Hollow had been

a nightmare on every level.

I'd come out of the woods within minutes of dropping from what felt like the sky onto the forest floor. I

had a few broken ribs, that was for sure, and I had been in total shock, handing Sasha off to a stunned

Adrian and Abigail before turning on my heel and walking back into the forest.

I spent a full day looking for Lena. It would have been more had Adrian not physically removed me from

the area and thrown me on a bus, holding me down until we were far enough away from Cedar Hollow

that I couldn't sprint back into the smoldering remains of the territory.

It was gone, all of it–the village, the Alpha's castle… everything. I'd spent the day walking through the

wreckage, screaming Lena's name into the trees as I stepped over the bodies of villagers and the

hybrid beasts who had hunted and killed them. Survivors milled about, taking stock with pale faces

lined with shock and confusion.

I had no idea what had happened, not until the initial fury and panic over what I thought I saw happen

to Lena subsided, leaving me in a state of numbness.

I was sure I'd seen her lifted into the sky by a beast with bat-like wings. It happened in the blink of an

eye, and then she was gone.

I was beginning to think I'd imagined it–all of it–her garden realm, Henry, the voice that was my only

companion.

But then Adrian started talking.

I felt like I'd spent only a day or two in the realm of Lena's creation, but it had been weeks. Weeks had

gone by in my absence, and as we arrived in Porthaven, I learned that all available warriors from all

three continents were gathering off the coast of Breles.

The same beasts that had attacked in Cedar Hollow were attacking the smaller pack villages between

Crimson Creek and Breles, making their way toward the capital city during the night and disappearing

during the day.

As the days passed in an anxious blur aboard the ferry, which had stopped along the coast of

northwest Findali before making a three-day long jump across the open ocean to the Isles of Denali's

capital of Avondale, I had time to wrap my mind around the situation.

War. Blood. Death.

I'd warned Ethan of this. It was happening.

Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt

And I couldn't do anything to stop it.

“We need to talk about what's going to happen when we, uh, you know," Adrian said under his breath

as he walked up to where I was sitting, Sasha sprawled on my lap flipping the pages of a children's

book I'd read to her at least a dozen times this morning already.

I made no move to get up, and Adrian sighed in resignation as he crossed his arms over his chest.

'No one has seen Clare,' he said over the mind-link, tilting his head toward Sasha, who was invested in

the pictures in the book and not giving Adrian a single second of her time.

'Clare?'

'Her mom! I explained this to you already,' Adrian said with a peeved expression.

I rolled my eyes toward the ceiling.

I was numb. I felt nothing–not anguish, not heartbreak, not panic. Just… nothing.

The only thing stopping me from strangling the captain of the ferry, turning it toward Breles, and

storming the shore was the fact that I knew Lena was being kept alive. They needed her alive. He, the

Vampire King, needed her alive.

I could feel her holding on. She was weak, but she was there, hanging on by a thread across the mate

bond. Stay with me, I thought, praying she could hear me, or at least feel me through our bond. I'm

going to come get you, I said to her as I met Adrian's gaze again, no matter what.

Adrian narrowed his eyes at me, tapping his fingers on his elbows as he waited for me to react to his

command.

“You should just be Alpha King," I breathed, watching his eyes narrow further. “I'm tired."

“We're going to be in Avondale tomorrow morning," he said through gritted teeth.

“I know," I replied, reaching into my pocket and pulling out a caramel candy wrapped in shiny green

paper, pressing it into Sasha's waiting palm. “It'll be fine. I already know what I'm going to say."

“That you lost their princess?"

“Ms. Grayleigh isn't a princess," Sasha said flatly as she opened the candy. “She's my teacher."

I smirked as Adrian looked down at Sasha with a furrowed brow. She plopped the candy into her

mouth, unbothered.

“Sasha," Adrian said with remarkable calm and even a shred of sweetness in his voice, crouching

down to look her in the eyes, “I need to talk to Xander for a minute. Could you go find Abigail? She has

some… hair stuff you can play with." He waved his hand around his head, and I couldn't help but raise

my brows as I watched him interact with the girl. Sasha frowned at him, looking him up and down

before hopping off my lap and hugging the book to her chest. She walked off without a word and

disappeared into a corridor leading down to the inner rooms of the large boat.

Adrian sighed as he rose to his full height, shaking his head as he said, “What are we supposed to do

with her?"

“Several people were taken, from what I've heard. Her mom could be one of them."

“Their Alpha, her uncle, is gone too. I think it's more likely he's dead."

We would likely never know for sure. If he was in the castle, well, nothing would be left of him but

charred bone. Sasha told us she had been walking home from a diner, or restaurant, with her mother

when the attack began, and the two of them had been separated.

She was alone, but something stopped me from handing her off to one of the families who had left

Cedar Hollow and fanned out along the coast as the ferry made its way toward the Isles. Maybe it had

been the look in Lena's eyes before she'd been taken, something that commanded me to keep the girl

with me, to protect her, to get her to safety.

“We'll hand Sasha off to Lena's family. The palace is crawling with kids; at least it was during the

wedding. They're set up for it."

“They likely evacuated their families somewhere else, somewhere hidden. We're walking into a

warzone," Adrian protested.

I shook my head. “Avondale hasn't been touched. It won't be touched by the Vampire King's forces,

either–too much sun, too much heat." I ran my tongue along the inside of my lower lip as I bent forward

and ran my fingers through my hair, ruffling it. I wanted a shower, a real one, not a cold drip that was all

that was available on the ferry. “This is the plan," I exhaled, looking back up at Adrian.

We were going to dock in Avondale and immediately go to the palace. From there, we'd explain

everything to Lena's family. We'd ask for help getting to Breles, and they would no doubt allow it. They

had to. They'd use their power to get us a ship, maybe a navy cruiser, and we'd land in Breles in less

than two days. From there…

“Lena is our priority. This goes beyond my relationship with her, Adrian. Okay? She's the only one who

can stop this."

Adrian nodded solemnly, his eyes flashing with the memory of her powers. He'd told me about the

silver wolves she produced, and commanded, which had likely saved the lives of countless villagers.

She'd ended the battle in Cedar Hollow, and then she'd been taken.

We needed her. I needed her.

I swallowed back the fury rising like bile in my throat. Whoever had taken her, whatever it was, well…

I'd have its head on a stake in a matter of days.

“There's one more thing I need to discuss with you, Alpha," Adrian said slowly, sitting down on the

bench next to me. His blue eyes shined in the fluorescent lights over our heads, and a hopeful, almost

pleading emotion fluttered across his face.

“She's your mate, isn't she?" I asked, settling my back against the bench.

Adrian pursed his lips and nodded, his cheeks coloring a bit. “We haven't done anything to, uh,

consummate the bond, you know," he coughed, clearing his throat. “I haven't marked her. She's

thinking about it."

“You want her to come to Egoren?"

“Yes, if that's what she wants. It's hard to see… to see a future right now, if I'm being honest, all things

considered."

Adrian's words cut into my heart as I looked over at him. The mate bond between Adrian and Abigail

had surprised me. Abigail wasn't his type at all. He tended to lean toward the more submissive,

easygoing type of woman. Abigail was a force to be reckoned with.

She'd rule beside him, whispering her commands and opinions in his ear as he served as my Beta, no

doubt.

She'd be great at it.

“You have my blessing, of course," I said with an easy smile, patting his on the back. He shrugged in

response.

“If she'll have me."

“I think she enjoys the chase," I muttered, giving him a wry look. He shook his head in resignation, but

a playful smile stretched across his mouth.

“That was supposed to be my thing, you know. I feel like the submissive, emotional one in the

relationship, whatever it is."

“Maybe that will be a nice change of pace for you."

“She doesn't like oatmilk, so that's already a nice change."

I laughed lightly, crossing my arms over my chest as I looked out over the enclosed viewing deck at the

endless ocean fanning out around us.

A moment of contemplative silence settled between us, and then I exhaled, looking over at him.

“We will need to go back to Egoren, and bring reinforcements through."

“I know," he replied, blinking back whatever emotion was trying to play on his face. “When?"

“After we find Lena. But, if you want to take Abigail there, to keep her safe–"

“No, she stays with me."

His words were said with seriousness and finality. I understood him. I knew why. We were both fighting

for our mates now, for their lands, for their realm.

And they'd fight beside us.

“Prince Oliver's going to be pissed," I laughed, sighing as I tilted my head back to look up at the ceiling.

“What? Why?"

I gave Adrian a look, and he quickly caught my meaning as he ground his teeth. “He has a bit of a

crush on Abigail from what I know," I said as I nudged him with my elbow.

Adrian scowled–mates, always jealous, always territorial.

“I can take him," Adrian smirked, slapping his knees as he stood. “I'm going to go rescue Abigail from

Sasha. Are you coming down for dinner?"

“Later," I replied, turning my gaze from him to look out over the water again. I closed my eyes as he

walked away.

I'm coming for you, I said through the bond. It's going to be okay. I'm coming.

I felt a rush of warmth embrace me, and suddenly I felt Lena's touch against my skin. I opened my

eyes, looking around. I was alone, and the deck was empty, but I'd felt her.

She was okay. She was–

Pregnant… she was pregnant. The knowledge was clear as day in my mind. My stomach twisted in a

knot as I tried to stand, trying to link with her again.

“Lena," I cried, clutching the armrest of the bench for support.