Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 151 : Hestia’s Lair

*Jared*

King Xander sent me an order to gather a team and clear out the Dark Forest.

I got Archer and Brandt together, along with many of my most trusted warriors, and we headed into the forest.

It was supposedly where Hestia's lair was, but all the searching we'd done in the forest before her death led to

absolutely nothing.

Xander hoped that this time, it would be different. If nothing else, we could get rid of any lingering rogues or

witches that were still hanging around, hopeful for Hestia's return.

The Dark Forest was crowded with old, thick trees that groaned in the wind.

My heart raced as I stepped onto the path. The air felt so close and heavy between the trees. I felt like there was a

weight crushing down on me. The canopy was so dense that hardly any light got through, making the forest dark

and eerie.

I had no idea what to expect within the forest. There was dark magic there, and rumors of terrifying beasts.

I could tell that my men were tense. Whenever the wind rustled dry leaves or a gnarled, twisted tree trunk groaned,

they whipped around, brandishing their weapons.

Thick vines twisted around the tree trunks, making them look deformed, and some of them even looked like

hunched-over people in the distance.

The shadows started playing tricks on us within seconds.

“Jared, there's a clearing up ahead," Archer spoke.

We all froze. His voice sounded so loud and harsh in the quiet, creepy forest.

“We'll start there, even if just to get a glimpse of sunlight. It might take the edge off." I nodded and took the lead,

heading down the path to the clearing.

If I thought my mind would ease from entering the clearing, I was sorely mistaken....

Rising up from the center of the clearing was a tall, dark tower that blocked out the sun. It was a single spire, rising

up into the sky, made of black stone. There was one door and no windows that I could see.

I tilted my head back and could barely see the top of the tower in the glare of the sun.

“This wasn't here before," I murmured, feeling my brows furrow.

What horrors were hidden in this tower?

“This must be Hestia's lair," Archer suggested.

I nodded and walked up the steps to the door. I knocked, and a loud echo rippled through the inside of the tower.

“It's possible that Hestia cloaked it with her magic, so we couldn't see it before."

“Killing her broke the spell," Archer continued.

“Everyone, on guard. This tower could be booby-trapped. Expect anything!" I ordered.

The men quickly took up a perimeter around the tower and stood at the ready.

“If her cloaking magic is gone, any protection spells she cast might be too," Archer pointed out.

“I'm not taking any chances. It doesn't take magic to put in booby traps and protect a secret lair."

I reached for the doorknob but Archer stopped me.

“Let me."

He pushed me back and opened the door. I held my breath, waiting for some strange trap to trigger. I was ready to

pull Archer out of the way in a second if I had to.

The door creaked open, loudly, sending another echoing sound through the entire tower.

Archer took a step back and held the hilt of his sword.

We waited until the echoing stopped. Nothing jumped out at us.

“It seems safe," Archer murmured.

“Alright, you come with me." I pointed to several guards. “The rest of you stay on guard."

Archer, Brandt, and I went into the tower with several other warriors at our backs.

“Spread out and look around but keep quiet and keep alert. Don't touch anything. If you find something of interest,

let me know and I'll come inspect it."

They nodded and spread out.

I headed to the left where the main entryway opened up into another room.

From what I could tell, there were a few rooms on the first floor and then a spiral staircase that went all the way up

through the tower. It must have led to other floors higher up.

I wanted to secure the first floor first before we explored deeper.

“Alpha, in here!" Brandt called to me.

I followed his voice to another chamber. It was lit up with luminous stones, casting a dim light around the room.

In the center of the room was a mound of moonstones. They shimmered in the dim light… so many moonstones of

all shapes and sizes and quality.

“I've never seen so many moonstones," Brandt muttered.

I looked around the room and found an old grimoire splayed open on a table.

“We should collect these moonstones and bring them back to the capital," I suggested as I picked up the grimoire.

While my men packed up the moonstones, I flipped through the ancient pages. Most of it was written in another

language. I recognized a few words that indicated this book held all the dark secrets of Hestia and Lycaon. Xander

might have scholars that could translate it.

There was one section of the book that I didn't need to translate.

It was an extensive family tree of Hestia's bloodline, showing her long lineage of dark witches.

When I came across the latest entries in the family tree, I froze.

“Archer… Hestia wasn't alone here in her lair."

“What do you mean?"

Suddenly, a loud wail filled the air.

A shiver ran down my spine and I nearly dropped the book. The cry echoed through the tower, a blood curdling

scream. It tapered off into a soft sob and then went silent.

I knew that kind of cry.

“Through there." I nodded to a cobweb-covered tapestry on the wall. “There's something behind that tapestry."

Archer and I tore the tapestry down, revealing a hidden room behind it.

Inside, there were two small beds. A boy and a girl, no more than five and six years old, were wrapped in tattered

blankets in their beds....

My eyes widened and I nearly forgot about the grimoire in my hands. The children had wide, terrified eyes, their

skin pale and sickly. They didn't look well, but they were alive.

“Who are they?" Archer asked.

I looked at the grimoire again. “They're Hestia's children. Orion and Eva.

“We need to get them out of here." I snapped to two of my men.

They scooped the children up and brought them outside into the sunlight.

“Archer, stay here with the men and finish getting all this packed up. I want it shipped to the palace. Stay alert and

let me know of anything suspicious you find," I ordered as I followed the children outside.

“Of course. I'll meet you back at the palace."

I nodded and made arrangements to get the children back to the castle with Eliza's help.

They needed to be seen by a healer and nursed back to health. Or… their danger levels needed to be assessed.

As we traveled back to the castle with the children, a new sense of unease settled over me.

What was going to happen to these children?

As a father, my first instinct was to protect them and get the proper care. But was that the right thing to do? Were

they dangerous? What kind of dark powers did they have? Did Hestia pass her darkness to them?

Whatever the case, these children had to be treated with caution.

“They are still innocent children! Is it right for us to condemn them for what they might do? Should we punish them

because of who their mother was?" I spoke about my worries to Eliza.

“Xander and Lena will do the right thing," she assured me.

I barely had a chance to think of who their father might be before we arrived at the castle.

I sent the children to the infirmary and met with Xander.

“Did you really bring Hestia's children back to my palace?" He glared at me.

Well, word traveled fast.

“They're just innocent children and they've been on their own for a while. They needed to be cared for," I argued.

Xander sighed heavily and nodded. “You are right. I will have them moved to a protected area of the castle, away

from anyone else. I don't want to find out the hard way that they are dangerous."

“I agree. But we need to think about what to do with them."

Xander nodded.

We met up in the war room with Lena and Eliza. Hestia's children were a potential problem that all of us had to deal

with.

“I understand your concerns, Xander, but we can't just leave them locked up in a room their whole lives. They are

children and deserve a full life," Eliza voiced her thoughts.

I slipped my arm around her shoulders. “I agree. They deserve a chance, especially given who their mother is."

“I'm thinking about who their mother is. We can't risk them running loose and causing problems like Hestia." Xander

sighed and sat down heavily.

I knew he didn't like the thought of imprisoning children, but he was the king of the Dark Realm and had to make

those hard decisions for the safety of everyone.

I didn't envy him.

“They are the children of a powerful, dark witch, not some orphans found on the side of the road," the king pointed

out. “We can't underestimate their potential danger."

Eliza opened her mouth to argue, and I was ready to defend her, but Lena stepped in.

“I don't think any of us want to see these children imprisoned or judged for their mother's actions," she said. “But

we can't let them run around unsupervised. However, we have a lot of powerful witches that could train them to

use their magic, and to use it for good."

“You want to teach them to be in control of their gifts?" Xander arched an eyebrow and gave his wife a look.

“Yes. If they can learn to control their powers and see the good they can be used for, and if we give them a chance,

then they might not fall prey to the darkness that Hestia was consumed by. They could become allies and assets,"

she elaborated.

“I think Lena is right. If we treat them kindly and give them a good life, they might never turn to their mother's

ways."

“That's a big 'if,'" Xander growled.

“Well, it will also mean that our witches will know far more about their power than we did Hestia's. If they do

become a threat, they'll be easier to take out," I chimed in.

Xander stroked his chin and nodded. “Alright, I have some witches that could take on their education."

“They're not going to be safe in the Dark Realm," Eliza spoke up.

Lena nodded. “I know where to take them."

“What about the moonstones and all the other artifacts we uncovered?" I questioned.

Xander and Lena exchanged a look.

“Follow me." Xander led us to a hidden door in the war room. There was a chamber underneath filled with artifacts.

Some I recognized from Aries' vault. It was the perfect, safest, place to hide potentially dangerous artifacts.

As we looked around the room, I couldn't help but feel a sense of relief wash over me. The children were going to

be taken care of and the dangerous artifacts were going to be hidden away. It felt like a small victory amidst the

chaos we had been facing.

“Well, I guess that settles it then. We'll give the children a chance and ensure that they are trained in using their

powers for good," Lena said, breaking the silence.

I nodded in agreement, happy that we had come to a conclusion that was fair to everyone involved. We all had a lot

of work ahead of us, but with the right training and education, these children might just become powerful allies.

“Thank you all for your help and hard work clearing out the Dark Forest," Xander said, breaking the silence. “We will

make sure that the children are taken care of and that they receive the best training possible."

I looked at Eliza and she smiled, nodding to show her her peace and agreement with these decisions before

stretching a hand out to me. I took her hand.

We followed Xander and Lena from the vault. When the locks were snapped and bolted into place, the last of my

doubts left me.

“Feel better?" Eliza asked after hearing my sigh of relief.

“I do," I admitted pulling her into me and kissing her cheek.