Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 58 : Revenge or Hope?

“What?" I gasped, my hands slipping on the water bottle.

“What?" I gasped, my hands slipping on the water bottle.

Payne reacted quickly, coming to my side. He grabbed the water bottle and clasped my hands around it.

My mind raced in a million directions as I tried to figure out if I'd heard him correctly. Payne was offering to be my

Beta? Why?

“Has Soren gotten his water?" he asked. “We should focus on him first."

“I… yes, I gave him water," I said, glancing at Soren.

He was resting soundly and easily. His breathing steady and his skin wasn't as flushed. Hopefully, that meant his

fever was coming down.

“Perhaps we should let him rest. Care to talk outside?" Payne asked. He took the water bottle from my hands.

“Um… sure…"

In a slight daze, I followed Payne out of the tent, glancing back once more to make sure that Soren was resting

easily.

Payne was already outside. He still held the water bottle, his eyes fixed on the stars.

I made sure to leave the tent flap open so I could look inside and see Soren. If he needed anything, I'd be able to

get to him quickly.

Payne had been acting strange around me for a while. He'd been giving me these looks and keeping Ashley from

saying “too much" around me. He'd been testing my reactions and responses to things. I'd known it was happening

but I never knew why.

But asking to be my Beta was the weirdest thing he'd done by far.

“Do you have something you want to tell me?" I asked when he didn't look at me or speak to me for a while.

Payne chuckled lightly. “Yes, I did."

“You did… what about now?" I asked.

“So much has happened. I'm not really sure where to start…"

“Try starting from the beginning," I suggested.

Payne gave me a sideways look and he smirked. His smirk wasn't sarcastic or mocking like Soren's. Payne's smirk

was kind and humorous.

He turned to me and bowed slightly. He put his hand on his chest and then swept his arm out toward me. It was a

similar gesture to the salute he'd given me earlier but it was more pronounced now that he wasn't supporting

Soren's weight.

“Miss Hathaway," he said.

I gasped and took a half-step back. How did he know my last name? I'd only just found it out myself!

“What was that gesture?" I asked motioning to the arm he still had angled toward me.

Payne smiled but then there was a flicker of dark agony in his eyes. He winced, swallowed hard and finally managed

to compose himself. So many emotions had run through him at once. It was hard to tell what he was thinking or

feeling.

“My father… he used to be the Beta of Pomeni pack. His Alpha and best friend was Kaleb Hathaway," Payne

explained.

I stared at him, frozen in place. I couldn't blink, I couldn't speak. My mind was completely numb and blank.

What was Payne saying? Did we know each other?

“My father was Alpha Kaleb's most trusted subordinate and friend. He… treated us like family, especially since our

mother died when we were very young," he continued.

“You and Ashley," I muttered to myself, shaking my head. I still felt like this information didn't quite fit in my brain.

Payne nodded. “Luna Jessica… She was like a second mother to us. Always so kind, so beautiful, and caring.

Sometimes, it felt like she saw us as her own children."

My stomach fluttered with joy at knowing the kind of woman my mother was and sadness too, feeling how I would

never know her kindness.

“When our pack grew bigger and stronger, the Luna and Alpha had you," he told me.

“I don't understand… we knew each other…?" I asked, shaking my head.

Payne chuckled. “Probably not well. The pack got really busy and my dad often took Ashley and me on patrols and

business trips with him because we didn't have a mother to watch us in the pack. Even if you did see me… well, you

were so young, you wouldn't remember."

Sighing, Payne looked away from me, his eyes angled to the ground.

I took a moment to process what he said. Payne and I were from the same pack? Why hadn't he said anything

sooner!?"

Slowly, Payne looked at me again.

“I'm sorry," he said.

“For what?" I asked quickly.

“For not recognizing you at first. In my memory, you always had shiny, blond hair like your mother. I never knew…

You were just a little girl back then and looked quite different than you are now," he explained.

I shook my head. “This is… I've only just started learning about my past. I never thought I'd meet anyone that I

knew back then."

“Ashley and I didn't think we'd meet anyone from our pack again. We thought they were all… But they aren't. You're

here and as the son of the Beta and you being the daughter of the Alpha and Luna… I should be your Beta," he

concluded, tying the conversation back into what we were talking about before.

“Payne I… Thank you. But… I'm not sure I'm worthy of your loyalty…" I shrugged, unsure what else to say.

I'd only just learned that I was the daughter of an Alpha and a powerful witch Luna. The idea that Payne wanted to

pledge his loyalty to me…

I saw the look in his eyes. He cast his head down, a look of disappointment crossing his face.

“Listen, Payne, you work for Soren because he is a trustworthy leader. He's proven himself. Me… I'm nobody. Just

because my parents were Alpha and Luna, that doesn't mean I'm a good leader," I told him, shrugging and sighing.

Payne smiled lightly. “I work for Soren because he saved me and Ashley."

“I know…"

“He never expected us to pay that back, in fact, he has always expected that Ashley and I would take the first

opportunity we could to avenge our pack. And that is an opportunity we both keep looking for. Soren never held it

against us and he won't ever forbid us from taking that opportunity when it comes," he said.

I licked my lips and nodded. Everything Payne was saying resonated with what I felt. I wanted revenge for my

parents and my pack. It turned out, we wanted revenge on the same people for the same thing.

If he was willing to follow me, then perhaps the three of us working together made more sense than involving

Soren. At least, the three of us would understand each other's needs and desires on this matter.

“Now that we've found you," Payne continued, pulling me from my thoughts. “We actually have hope that we never

had before. Hope has replaced the desire for revenge."

“Hope? What do you mean?" I asked, furrowing my brow.

“It would be my honor to serve you as Beta, like my father served your father. And it would be both my honor and

Ashley's to stand beside you, Miss Hathaway, the only heir to our Pomeni pack. You are our hope to restore the

pack," he said.

“M-me?" I squeaked in a hoarse, raspy voice.

Panic thudded in my chest and I glanced from side to side. What was the fastest way to get out of there?

Payne spoke with such reverence, loyalty, and pure-heartedness. It was overwhelming. What had I done to deserve

that kind of loyalty and honor?

When I looked at him, I saw the gloss over his eyes. He looked like he could cry at any moment. And they were

tears of happiness, joy, and hope. He was completely sincere and genuine.

Never in my life had anyone treated me like that. No one had ever shown me such respect, confidence, and

sincerity. He wasn't just treating me like a friend, he was treating me like a superior.

My shoulders sagged suddenly with the weight of the responsibility he had laid on me. It wasn't a bad weight or a

crushing weight. It was just the reminder of my birthright, beyond personal revenge. There was more to my

bloodline than pain and death.

Was it really my responsibility to rebuild the pack and restore hope?

Did I want that responsibility?

My heart grew heavy and I couldn't decide. It was so much to carry around with me when all I wanted was my

freedom and a peaceful, quiet life.

“Payne, I appreciate the gesture…" I said with a heavy sigh. “But I'm not Soren. I'm grateful that I have friends like

you and Ashley but you don't owe me anything. There is no need for you to do any of this. I'm just Mila, okay?

Please call me Mila like before…"

Payne bowed his head respectfully. “It is true that Soren saved my life, and Ashley's. However, you did so too, once

upon a time. We have owed you our lives longer than Soren."

“What? No… I never-"

“You don't remember, of course not," Payne said, cutting me off. “When you were young, after our pack was

destroyed, you ran into a girl and an injured boy… in a burned-out house."

My mind shifted back to the dream April had put me in. I could so clearly see the injured boy and girl. But I didn't

know them… Did I?

“You used your power to save that boy. It allowed him to bring his sister to safety, to protect her and feed her and

keep her alive. Thanks to you, that boy is here today, standing before you now, talking to you… thanking you."

My jaw dropped and my eyes widened. “Y-you… y-you're that b-boy?" I asked.

Those two children had been so lost and alone. The girl was too young to be left alone and I knew what Payne had

said was true. If I hadn't healed him, Ashley wouldn't have survived. She probably wouldn't have left that burnt-out

house and starved or been killed by raiders.

Soren had been with me in that dream. He must have known that it was Payne and Ashley.

Was it a coincidence or fate that brought us all together now?

Payne smiled widely. “Goddess bless that we were able to find you again!"

He bowed, lower this time, and used the special gesture he had from before. It must have been a traditional

greeting from our pack.

“Whatever you decide, I will support you and protect you. Ashley will stand by you too. I believe that the three of us

can rebuild our pack someday, but you don't need to worry about that right now," he offered.

I sighed and nodded, a little grateful that he wasn't going to push me for an answer.

Laughter echoed through the woods and I whipped around. I'd practically forgotten that we weren't alone out here.

Our conversation had been so intense!

Ashley and Eros came out from the bushes. Eros leaned in and whispered something to her. Immediately, Ashley

started to laugh, her face reddening.

Payne's eyes narrowed.

“Did you get the herbs to treat Soren?" I asked before Payne could say anything.