Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 57 : Whose Beta?

Payne's expression flickered several times until he finally composed himself and bowed his head to me.

Payne's expression flickered several times until he finally composed himself and bowed his head to me.

Then, he gave me a kind of salute I wasn't familiar with.

Shaking my head, I motioned to Soren.

“We need to treat his wounds. Those nettles were poisonous," I reminded him.

“Really, there's no need to worry," Soren argued, shaking his head. “It is just a minor wound. Nettles are noxious

but they aren't deadly."

“We don't know what kind of nettles those were or how serious the poison is," I said. I pocketed the stone and

crossed my arms firmly.

Soren wasn't going to get out of this that easily.

My eyes trailed to the wound on his leg. His pants were soaked through with blood and I could tell that it was still

bleeding heavily.

“We made a camp near the cave where we found you," Payne said.

He supported Soren as we went through the woods back down the mountain.

They had two tents set up and a small fire pit between them. It was a very rough campsite but I figured they hadn't

planned to stay there long. Just a place to sleep.

I followed Payne into one of the tents. He got Soren onto the cot and I was surprised when Soren didn't argue or

struggle as Payne put a blanket over him.

“Where is Doctor Lee? How fast could he get here?" I asked.

Payne shook his head. “Dr. Lee has been away on a personal matter. He won't be around for some time and we

can't get in touch with him."

Soren muttered something and groaned. His eyes were closed and he looked pale. His skin glistened in the lamp

light.

I moved around Payne and put my hand on Soren's forehead. “He has a fever," I said.

“Soren, how do you feel?" Payne asked.

“Tired," Soren muttered.

I sat on the edge of his cot and grabbed a nearby cloth, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

“Soren, you should rest," I urged.

“Maybe… that's a good idea…" he gasped. He looked at me one last time and then closed his eyes.

I listened as his breathing evened out and he drifted off to sleep. Sighing, I closed my eyes and bowed my head.

Was this the danger Helen had warned me about? I didn't think so. But it was bad.

While Soren slept, I pulled his pant leg up and looked at the wound. Payne got me some bandages and wipes and I

started cleaning the wound. It kept sprouting fresh blood and it wasn't clotting.

The poison was probably doing that.

Leaves outside the tent rustled and I turned my head to the tent door.

Payne held a hand up to keep me quiet. He narrowed his eyes as he listened.

“What is it?" I whispered.

“Nothing dangerous," he asserted, nodding.

Ashley poked her head into the tent. “Guys, you'll never guess what I found," she said, grinning.

“What is it?" Payne asked, sighing and relaxing.

Ashley stepped aside and a young man entered the tent. He had to have been in his early twenties and was rather

handsome with his sandy blond hair and blue eyes. He was a little on the pale side but he was tall and fit. Not overly

muscled and I could tell he hadn't grown into himself yet.

He smiled warmly, the kind of easy smile that made us relax.

But I could sense that Payne was still on edge. He frowned when the boy appeared and shot a glare at Ashley. I

could practically hear the question in his mind, wondering why his sister thought it was a good idea to bring a

stranger into their camp.

“This is Eros," Ashley said, still beaming a big smile. “He got lost in the woods…"

Payne's frown deepened. He moved to push the young man out of the tent but Ashley stopped him.

“Look, Payne, he was in the woods collecting herbs. Medicinal herbs. He's a healer and I bet he can help," Ashley

said quickly.

“Actually, I'm a healer in training. I'm still learning, but I could probably help, based on what Ashley told me," Eros

said in a smooth, charming voice.

Payne sighed and nodded, his frown relaxing.

My heart relaxed and I looked at Soren, hopeful that this Eros guy could actually help. As it was, we didn't know

what kind of nettle had stung him or the poison in his veins.

“You may come in," Payne said, stepping aside.

Eros nodded and came up to the cot with Soren. I eyed him carefully, trying to figure out what a healer in training

was doing in the woods at night, collecting medicinal herbs. Payne definitely had a good reason to be wary.

I didn't want to cause a fuss. Not when he might be able to help.

“Hmm." Eros looked over the wound and poked at Soren's leg.

“He was stung by some kind of nettle plant," I said.

Eros nodded. “I'm familiar with the poisonous plants that grow on Mount Lournet. This wound seems pretty fresh."

“He got it less than an hour ago," I confirmed.

“Good. The sooner he gets treatment, the better. If you wait too long, it is a lot harder to get the poison out. I

should be able to treat it," Eros explained.

“Thank you," I muttered.

“I need help gathering herbs. Could you two come with me and help gather herbs?" Eros asked, pointing to Payne

and Ashley.

“Ashley can go with you. She is capable and her help should be sufficient," Payne insisted.

“Very well," Eros agreed. He motioned to Ashley and the two of them left the tent.

When I couldn't hear their voices or footsteps anymore, I turned to Payne. “You don't trust him?"

Payne glanced at me and shrugged. “Better safe than sorry."

“You think Ashley will be okay on her own? Aren't you worried Eros might hurt her or something?" I asked.

Payne arched an eyebrow and chuckled. He shook his head.

“Ashley will be fine. She grew up in the rogue zone, remember? She might act like a child sometimes, but she is

perfectly capable of protecting herself," he assured.

“Well, I guess that's true," I said, nodding.

“I'm surprised you're worried. But if anything goes wrong, Ashley and I still have a mindlink. She'll keep me

informed," he said, tapping the side of his head.

“Still…"

“Besides, if Eros has other motivations, I doubt Ashley is his target," he said quickly.

He eyed me again and I knew exactly what he meant. There were plenty of bounty hunters after me and there

were packs coming after Soren too, because of the rumors he'd spread.

If Eros was really after me, Soren, or the artifact, he wouldn't hurt Ashley until he got what he wanted.

Nodding, I turned back to Soren. He was still sleeping but he winced now and then. His skin was flushed with his

fever.

“You should rest, Mila. I can keep watch over Soren and the campsite," Payne suggested.

“No," I said, shaking my head. “I won't be able to sleep until I know Soren is okay. I'll be okay, I don't need a lot of

sleep."

“In that case, I will just be outside. If you need anything, I won't be far," Payne assured. He looked at me for a long

time, like he was waiting for a response.

“Okay," I finally replied.

Payne nodded and left the tent. I could see his shadow on the outside of the fabric. He was still close but I felt like I

had a little privacy with Soren.

I watched over Soren. Each breath was smooth but I could tell he was in some kind of pain. The bandage was

already soaked through with blood. I wished Eros and Ashley would hurry back so we could heal him.

The wound was a bunch of tiny needle pricks clustered together. It looked like a lot more blood was coming out

than it was but I knew prolonged bleeding, in any amount, wasn't good.

I wiped his brow again and he settled down. When it looked like he was sound asleep, I pulled the gemstone out of

my pocket.

It looked like a moonstone but it wasn't exactly like a moonstone. I could feel something inside of it. A gentle hum or

thrum of power. It was like it was speaking to me, calling out to me, and waiting for me to awaken it.

I held the gem up to the light. It shimmered in all kinds of interesting ways, like a prism or rainbow.

There was no doubt in my mind that this stone was mystical in some way.

I thought of the map and the other locations where artifact pieces were hidden. The pieces weren't described, but

this was the easiest one to get to and locate. I figured that meant it was the smallest and most harmless of all the

pieces.

On its own, the moonlit crystal probably couldn't do as much damage or harm as the other artifact pieces.

I imagined my mom hadn't put as much time or effort into hiding this stone as she would the other pieces. And yet,

we still hadn't found it unscathed.

The other pieces would be hidden better and probably have more traps and protections around them. We'd have to

be much more careful going forward. I didn't want Soren to get hurt every time we found a new artifact piece… or

worse..,

There were two other parts for the Blade of Souls. Soren and I would have to take more precautions and be more

aware of the dangers that awaited us.

Soren broke into my thoughts, murmuring slightly.

“What was that?" I asked taking his hand.

His eyes fluttered slightly. “W-water…" he croaked.

“I'll get you some," I promised.

I rushed outside to Payne and he was standing there with a water bottle. I smirked and arched an eyebrow at him.

He must have been listening in.

“He's asking for water," I said.

Payne nodded and we headed back into the tent. I took the water bottle from him and sat on the edge of the cot.

If I hadn't taken it, I was certain that Payne would have bottle-fed Soren himself.

I pressed the bottle to Soren's lips and lifted his head slightly, allowing him to drink. I was careful not to pour it all

down his throat at once.

“Soren is lucky to have you," I said.

“What do you mean?" Payne asked, creasing his brow.

“Well, you're not his Beta, but you do everything a Beta would for him. I mean… you're the perfect Beta and any

Alpha would love that."

Payne's brow creased more and he pursed his lips slightly. I couldn't read the expression in his eyes. He stared at

me for a while.

He stared so long that I started to get uncomfortable. I giggled nervously and set the empty water bottle aside,

easing Soren's head onto the pillow.

“I'm not Soren's Beta," Payne said firmly. “But if you allowed it, I could be yours."