Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder novel Chapter 316

Troy

The University of Mirage had sustained major damage during the invasion. Scaffolding snaked up the outer walls of the university’s event center, which was one of the oldest buildings in Valoria. The last timeli had been to the event center was the night I went to the social and eventually got attacked in a darkened alley and witnessed Maeve nearly kill a man.

Watching her knock the man’s teeth out was the moment really, truly, fell in love with her.

The center looked different in the light of day, however. No paper lanterns hung along the high ceilings as I followed Ethan and Rowan up the wide, stone staircase. Daylight flooded through the massive stained glass window as we reached the top of the stairwell, little shreds of multicolored light dancing around our feet.

Men were walking past us, funneling into the lecture hall.

“All you have to do is answer their questions. The less you say, the better.” Ethan directed this toward me, and I nodded, willing myself to have a filter although I knew it was unlikely.

We followed Ethan into the lecture hall. I had expected him to stop and chat with his fellow Alphas, but he walked down the stairs and motioned to us to sit in a row of seats close to the platform where a group of six people was seated in a semi

circle, dressed in black robes.

I looked around the room as we sat down, trying to make sense of the number of Alphas in the room. There must have been some Betas included in the meeting; that was the only explanation.

After roughly ten minutes, the conference began. It was early in the morning, and the smell of coffee was thick in the air as the High Elder Council began to speak. They called out the name of each Alpha and his pack. The Alpha of Breles. The Alpha of Emerald Lake, of Tragoria, of Moon Haven, and so on, and so forth. Packs I had never even heard of had been called into attendance.

The six High Elders represented the territories of the pack lands, three from Finadli, the western continent, and three from Valoria, the eastern. I hadn’t noticed the seventh elder until she spoke, her accent strange and unfamiliar as her words rang clear throughout the lecture hall.

“We are gathered to speak on many topics today, such as trade, infrastructure, and the exchange of titles,” she said calmly before taking a seat at the end of the semi-circle table.

“Who is she?” I asked Rowan. Rowan leaned towards me, whispering.

“She’s the High Priestess of the Church of the Moon Goddess. The Church has its own representative on the council. That way, there is never a split vote.”

“Ah, I see,” I said, my mouth feeling a little numb.

Rowan seemed out of sorts as well, and we were both sweating with nerves as we listened to matters of trade being discussed, trying to follow along!

“We now call the Alpha King of Valoria to the podium,” an elder said, looking bored.

I wondered just how much Ethan was going to tell the other Alphas about the situation with Tasia. But to my surprise, he said nothing about it all.

Instead, he did something more shocking.

“Much has changed in the last twenty-five years. The growth of Valoria is now rivaled by the population boom in Finaldi. There was a time in which I would have argued against Finaldi needing an Alpha King reinstated to the throne,” he bellowed, not bothering to use the microphone. “I seek the council’s guidance on the matter of crowning a King of the West.”

Shocked murmuring echoed through the lecture hall. Rowan shifted in his seat, glancing over at me.

“What is he doing?” Rowan whispered.

“Playing… chess,” I breathed, leaning back in my own chair and crossing my legs, my ankle balanced on my opposite knee.

“There is no need for an Alpha king in the Finaldi. Their territories are too rural outside of Breles for that to make much of a difference,” said one of the elders, rolling a pen over his fingers.

“I believe the Alphas of the new territories north of Breles

would disagree with that sentiment.” Ethan had his arms crossed over his chest as he spoke, his brow arched as he looked out into the crowd. He locked his gaze, and I followed it, finding myself looking right at Aaron of Red Lakes, who was sitting next to a small man who must have been his father.

“Oh, shit…” I whispered as I sunk into my seat.

Aaron was staring right at me, his eyes narrowed.

“What?” Rowan whispered.

I tilted my head in Aaron’s direction.

“Oh, Aaron’s here? I thought this meeting was only for Alphas and their Betas,”

“Keaton and I straight up kidnapped that guy, Rowan,” hissed, trying to keep my voice as low as possible as Ethan continued to plead his case.

Rowan stole another glance at Aaron, but shrugged, turning back to whisper in my ear again in a joking manner. “He’s not a threat. We could beat him up after the meeting, if you want, just to show him who’s in control. Dad would probably allow it

We both turned, feeling Ethan’s steely glare on us. Rowan colored and slouched into his seat, the two of us resigned to silent attention.

“That’s why the Alpha of Breles and myself believe a new Alpha King of the West should be chosen,” Ethan continued, bringing his gaze back to the elders. “Alpha Tritan of Breles

has no heirs to carry on his line and doesn’t want the title. He believes it should go to a northern Alpha in the new western territories. I am in agreement. We are casting our support behind Alpha Eugene, of Red Lakes.”

A much louder murmur erupted behind us, and I turned to set my gaze on Alpha Eugene, Aaron’s father. He was a small man, an elder, but the obvious fire behind his eyes betrayed his age. He was looking around, accepting claps on the shoulder in congratulations and support. Aaron was shell shocked, his eyes staring blankly ahead as he internally grappled with what his father’s new title would mean for him in the future.

Alpha Eugene caught my eye, his green eyes lingering on mine for a moment before he gave me a tight smile, nodding his head in my direction before glancing at his son with a shrug.

Odd, I thought. Surely Aaron told him what happened. And Ethan would have explained the current situation, I was sure. Alpha Eugene seemed to not even care that he was sitting in the same room with the man who had kidnapped his son and taken his place as breeder. The same man who was about to become an Alpha.

“Alpha Eugene of Red Lakes?” someone in the crowd said with uncertainty.

“The new western territories are traitors to Findali!” another said.

Eugene bristled at this comment and rose from his seat. “The northern territories have paved the way for new trade routes and infrastructure for Finadli. Alpha Tallum, would you deny

that Breles and the port of Findali have seen major improvements over the past ten years? Our lumber itself is the cause of many riches for your pack in particular-” Eugene pointed a finger at the Alpha who had called him, and his neighboring Alphas, traitors. “You know we have the power to cut you off entirely from much-needed resources if we so choose–”

“That’s enough,” said the High Priestess, pounding a gavel on the table. I watched in awe as the elders began to whisper to each other, nodding to each other in shared sentiment. “Do you accept the nomination?”

“I accept.”

A round of spirited applause rang out, sending a rumble of vibration through the room.

“A vote will be held at the meeting’s end for the packs of the west, only. Majority will rule. We accept Eugene’s nomination.”

The gavel was smashed again, and the conference continued. Several men were asked to rise, one of which was Rowan. One by one they were announced as new Alphas… all of which had been titles passed down by their fathers, uncles, or grandfathers. It was obvious that a new generation of wolves were coming into power.

But my name hadn’t been called with the group.

I leaned over, patting Rowan on the back as he sat down, slightly red in the face at the attention.

“Is that it? You’re an Alpha now? I whispered.

| swallowed hard as I moved between the seats, murmuring apologies as I squeezed past several other men sitting in our aisle. Ethan was seated in a row closest to the podium, and he was watching me with interest. He gave me a nod in support as I reached the podium and faced the elders.