Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder novel Chapter 328

Chapter 108: Last Words of the White Queen

Maeve

Hayden paced around the room for a long while, lingering in meditative silence as I watched him. Occasionally, he turned to glance at me but made no further moves to touch me, or Troy.

| was kneeling next to Troy, trying desperately to wake him up. He was struggling to keep his eyes open for more than a few seconds at a time, the effects of the wolfsbane still gripping his body.

I looked around for anything sharp, anything I could cut myself with to give Troy some of my blood, and finally resort ed to bringing my hand to my mouth, preparing to bite into the flesh beneath my thumb.

“Uh, no. Don’t do that.” Hayden was at my side in an in stant, knotting his fingers in my hair and pulling sharply. I screeched, which seemed to rouse Troy from his stupor enough to bare his teeth and grimace, his fingers twitching.

“Ah, see? All you had to do was scream to wake him up. Let’s try again.” He pulled my hair so hard, some of it came clean out of my scalp. I grimaced, shaking as I held in the scream threatening to erupt from my mouth.

“Scream!” he demanded, twisting my hair violently until 1 could help but whimper. Troy moaned, rolling onto his side. “It’s useless. This is no fun.” He tossed me onto the ground, shaking his head as he walked away and began to pace again.

“What do you want?” | winced as I rubbed my head. My hair was already falling out in droves after having the boys, but now I was sure I had a bald spot.

“I’m nothing more than a babysitter right now, I’m afraid. Until it’s your turn.”

“My turn for what?”

“Well, once Tasia finishes up with Hanna, then you’re next. I think she wants to kill you in front of Troy, at least that’s what I hope. And then your parents, of course. I’m sure she’ll have the White Queen watch-”

“My parents?” I stammered. “Are they here?”

“Last I heard, the rogues were battling with some Drogo mor warriors in the forest, so they know you’re nearby. Gosh, Tasia is just so happy she was able to take care of this now, in stead of waiting for the solstice.”

Llicked my lips, glancing at Troy before meeting Hayden’s eyes again.

“What was she planning to do on the solstice?”

“Well, that is when the stones are at their most powerful. She was going to bleed the two of you dry, you and your mother, that is, and activate the stones to heighten her power enough to bring the entirety of the packlands to the ground.”

I wondered if Hayden was supposed to be telling me any of this. He didn’t seem like the sharpest tool in the shed, that was for sure.

“She doesn’t mean to combine them?” I asked.

“Well, no. She doesn’t want the Moon Goddess to come down and smite her, I guess. I’m not sure how that all works-” he waved his hand in dismissal.

“Smite her?” I couldn’t help but laugh. Having already talked to Tasia, I knew her end goal was to kill us all, take over the pack lands, and end the rule of the White Queens forever, paving the way for those of the Lycaon bloodline to rule.

But she wanted something else from Hanna. That’s why she had her alone.

“What does Hanna have to do with all of this?” I asked, squeezing Troy’s arm. He was starting to stir now, trembling as the effects of the wolfsbane left his system.

“Well, from what I understand, Hanna is either going to give birth to the next White Queen, who has some prophecy about her as well, but I don’t know the specifics, or she’s go ing to try to turn Hanna to our side. Hanna is very powerful, as you know. More powerful than Tasia from what Carl has said. Carl wants Hanna for himself, so it’s likely he will force Tasia to keep her alive-”

“Shut him up, Maeve. I can’t take one more second-” Troy groaned, a little green around the gills.

“Goodmorning sunshine,” Hayden said mockingly, crouch ing only a few feet away from us and tilting his head as he peered at Troy.

“Get away from me. From her-”

“I’m on strict orders to keep an eye on you both.” Hayden exhaled, standing. He glanced at me, his mouth pulling into a wide, delirious smile before he kicked Troy right in the center

AiVoucher

of the stomach.

I jumped up and lunged at him, swinging blindly, missing his jaw by a fraction of an inch.

“Oh, a feisty one. You surprise me, Troy. I always thought you’d end up alone, or with Keaton’s sister-”

“F*ck him up, Maeve. For the love of the Goddess-“|

I screamed in frustration as I charged at Hayden, this time landing a punch right in the center of his chest. He staggered backward, stumbling, and caught himself on the wall.

“Now, now. Let’s talk this through-”

I hit him again and again, but he was much larger than me. He had roughly an inch on Troy, although he was not nearly as strong. Hayden swayed and staggered at each of my blows, and soon I had him cowering along the wall, his fists covering his face as I swung wildly.

“That’s enough-”

Carl had come into the room. He glanced down at Troy, narrowing his eyes at him before taking three long strides across the floor and grabbing me by the hair, pulling me off of Hayden.

He tightened his grip on me as he pulled me out of the room by my hair, tossing me into the tunnel.

“Where are you taking me?” | bit out as the red – eyed Rogue covered the entrance of the room behind us.

“Back to Tasia. She’s ready for you now.”

Carl led me through the tunnel, which forked at one point, reading us along a narrow passageway full of moss and tan gled tree roots, the space having been taken over by nature for some time.

“Don’t think about running, Maeve,” he said coolly, “it’s entirely too easy to get lost in here.”

“It must feel like home to you,” I quipped, my tone dry and sarcastic.

“Close,” he replied, smirking. “Did you ever hear the fable?”

“About how Morrighan chased Lycaon out of what is now Winter Forest? Yes -”

“Ah, yes. That did happen. But did you hear what she did, exactly? How she used her power to try and stop her twin?”

I shook my head. He was walking behind me, holding a lantern up as we walked into the pitch black of the tunnel, which had now turned into an intricate cave system.

“Well, she used her powers to bring down the north east ern mountains, sparking a massive volcanic explosion, so leg end goes. Lycaon had no choice but to leave his family behind and seek refuge elsewhere-”

“But he left his mate and had children for another woman. That is where the people of Dianny came from, from what ! was told. He sounds like a total douche-”

Carl flicked me sharply on the back of head.

“Ah, well. Many years had gone by, by the time that hap pened. The family he left behind burrowed into mountains,

living within the cave systems created by the eruption. The same caves we stand in now.”

“Here? How is that possible? The eastern mountains are hundreds of miles away!”

“Morrighan prayed to her mother, who had already left them, for guidance and help. Lycaon’s betrayal angered the Goddess herself, you see. Morrighan had access to that anger, and her powers showed it.

“Think back on what you know of your mother, and ances tors. Tell me, when has a White Queen ever used her powers to their fullest? It’s a once in a lifetime occurrence, from what I’m told. Your mother’s life was spared when her true mate took on her burden of death, and he was only spared because your mother used the Moonlight Lily, which wasn’t hers to take.

“Lycenna had been tending to that plant for hundreds of years and it was sacred to us. But your grandmother used her gift to heal her pack during a sickness, I believe? How boring. Especially when she could’ve brought down entire kingdoms had she simply prayed for it-”

“It’s because White Queens are good.”

“No, it is because they are weak, Maeve. You used your gift to see your future, didn’t you? That’s what Tasia said. She said you didn’t mean to do it, and for whatever reason you were spared. You won’t have the chance to do it again, I’m

afraid. How sad. Watch your step, now-”

I stumbled as we began to walk along a decline. He held the lantern up over my head, illuminating a massive cave, the light reflecting off huge stalactites that formed like columns

“It wasn’t a lie, not for the average wolf. Any power out side of being able to shift is infallible to them, you know. We needed their help to access you, Maeve. All I had do was offer Damian riches, and the possibility of having a single day added to his life, and he was in.”

A fire burned in the center of the space, but the flames were strange. They were the brightest, most vivid blue I had ever seen, and beneath the fire, no embers burned. I saw the eudialyte stones on second glance, the flames licking over their shiny surfaces, making them glow.

“Well, now we can begin,” Tasia said from her perch atop one of the crystal formations. She hopped down, brushing pale dust from her pants as she stalked toward me, taking me forcibly by the elbow and leading me over to where Mom was standing. I could now see the rest of the space, my view no longer blocked by obstacles.

“I won’t,” I said, swallowing against the fury and fear tight ening my throat, “I wouldn’t, even if I knew.”