Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder novel Chapter 577

Chapter 77 : The Realm of Blood and Fury

*Xander*

I was in Hell. That was the only way to describe this place. Henry walked in front of me as we made our way down a narrow path etched into the side of the violently spiked mountain toward the darkened cave that I had seen from the mountain's peak. It was dry here and absolutely freezing. Henry was dressed in what looked like a cape he'd stitched together with a variety of garments, rags, and dried leaves.

“The second the sun rises, you're gone. Do you understand?" he said beneath his breath. He hadn't even turned to look at me; he kept his eyes forward as we both clung to the fragile shale mountain face and crept closer to the cave's opening. I was bursting with questions for him, but also with fear. The screeching sound… Goddess, the wail of it ate away at my bones.

“What's making that noise?" I hissed.

Henry shushed me firmly, shaking his head. The cave was only yards away, and as soon as I'd reached the threshold, I felt a burst of warm air trickling out from inside.

But it was pitch black. Henry disappeared into the darkness with no light to guide him. I followed the sound of his breathing into the shadows, feeling along the wall as we descended into its depths and turned corner after corner. Eventually, the tunnel began to lighten, an amber glow in the distance gradually illuminating the walls of the cavern.

A warming fire sat in the center of a wide, shallow room of sorts. There was no other entrance or exit except the one from which we had entered the cave. I looked around as Henry shuffled forward. I had to bend my head to fit inside and immediately felt claustrophobic. I noticed the mirrors then, which were no more than cracked shards of glass, propped up on rock shelves along the walls of the cavern. I turned to look into the tunnel and noticed the glass continued, likely all the way to the entrance of the cave itself.

“They glow in the dark; otherwise, it's hard to see them," Henry said gruffly as he broke a few pieces of gray wood into pieces and stoked the fire.

“See what, exactly?"

“You know what," he replied in a low growl. I ran my tongue along my lower lip, glancing at the area. There was a bed made of nothing more than a pile of dried leaves with a tattered blanket laid over it. A few glass bottles littered the area, as well as an oil lantern and a shovel. He'd hung a shirt on a spike on the wall, the shirt itself nothing more than shredded fabric.

“Where are we?"

“Do you really want to know?" Henry asked, sitting back with his legs crossed as he watched the fire, poking it with a stick.

“Of course, I do," I ground out, crouching by the fire. Muted screeching drifted through the tunnel and I turned my head toward the sound, chills running up my spine. “What the hell is that?"

“I don't know," he gruffed. “I've never stayed out at night long enough to see one."

“Is this where you've been the entire time?" I pressed, sitting back on my ass with my arms crossed over my chest. The fire was large enough to send ripples of warmth into my chilled bones. I felt a pang of hunger for the first time in what felt like days, and looked around the room for any signs of food, but there were none.

“Yes, but not always here, in this place. I've been here for about a week."

“Where did you spend the last several weeks, then?"

He looked up at me, his eyes twinkling in the fire. He choked a laugh and shook his head.

“Time has no consequence between this realm of death and the realm of the pack lands, Xander. Or are you going by your true name now?"

I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Don't look so surprised," he continued before I interjected. “I took one look at you and knew exactly who, and what, you were. You came to the pack lands looking for a White Queen, didn't you?"

“How do you know all of this?"

“I've been around." That was all he said.

A sinking feeling settled in my gut as I watched him gaze into the fire for a moment before reaching for a burlap sack and fishing around inside of it. He tossed me a chunk of dry, stale bread. I nodded my thanks as I broke off a chunk of it and popped it into my mouth.

I nearly broke my teeth on it and tucked the bite into my cheek to soften it instead.

“How did you get here?" I asked after several minutes of silence.

“I went after Elaine. She went to the opening looking for Ben and me.... She was gone. I was too late."

“Gone where?"

“Here, this place," he waved a hand around the cave and shrugged. “This realm of blood and fury–"

“What did you just say?" I looked up at him, my skin burning with adrenaline, but he didn't hear me over his chewing of the stale bread.

“Bad things happen to women here. Especially those like Elaine."

“What do you mean? What happened to her? What happened after you came here?"

“Did Gideon explain everything to you?"

I nodded, “So did Ben."

“Ah, see. I knew what Elaine saw was an illusion. That's how he gets them… the girls. He tricks them with images he sends through the barrier between the realms and lures them in. And if he can't lure them, he sends his cronies to do his dirty work. Jen wasn't always what she was in the end. She was one of those girls who was turned, and then made to do his bidding."

“He, as in–"

“The king of this realm, yes." Henry leaned forward, his face dancing with shadows cast by the flames. “He's looking for Lena. He's starting a war over her. He'll destroy the pack lands and kill everyone, Xander, until she's turned over to him."

“Why?"

“She's the only one who can give him what he wants," he said casually, as if we were having this conversation over beers at the local pub instead of hiding in a cave while whatever creature from the deepest level of Hell stalked us outside. “He's been looking for her for ages. He found her. He likely knows where she is because of the blood root–"

“What?" I choked on a piece of bread, swallowing it painfully. “What are you talking about–"

“It was the only way to save her, to save you both. It gives off a smell. These beings can track it. It started centuries ago, when the first of their kind came through the barrier between the realms to settle in what is now Crimson Creek. It was after a war in this realm, from what I understand, between the former king and the current king. Those followers of the former king crossed the barrier instead of facing death, and their offspring eventually became what they are now."

“What does he want with Lena?"

“The same thing you want with her," Henry replied, his tone dropping an octave as he gave me a harsh, unforgiving look of disapproval. I nodded once, biting the inside of my cheek as I peered at him through my lashes.

f**k, really?

“I didn't come to her realm to take her away and use her as a breeder, I'll have you know–"

“Ah, but wasn't that the original plan? Don't play me for a fool, boy. Your powers are written all over your face–"

“You don't know me," I sneered. “I don't have powers–"

“Not the way that she does, no. Your powers can't be controlled. They're just a part of who you are. You suck the life out of people just like your uncle did. Just like all the men in your line, going back to the time when Lycaon bestowed his final gift upon his followers before he gave in to mortal death. Gifted with their own realm, can you believe it? Not even Morrighan possessed such powers. But that gift of a new realm, where his followers could worship him without the threat of the followers of the Goddess and the White Queen warring with them came with a cost, did it not? You, Xander, a descendant of Lycaon himself. You inherited the curse bestowed upon him by his own mother after his treachery–that darkness. That shadow that follows you, sucking the life out of those you love.... That's him, is it not? The only piece of him you carry is the curse–"

“How do you know oll of this?"

“I've been oround." Thot wos oll he soid.

A sinking feeling settled in my gut os I wotched him goze into the fire for o moment before reoching for o burlop sock ond fishing oround inside of it. He tossed me o chunk of dry, stole breod. I nodded my thonks os I broke off o chunk of it ond popped it into my mouth.

I neorly broke my teeth on it ond tucked the bite into my cheek to soften it insteod.

“How did you get here?" I osked ofter severol minutes of silence.

“I went ofter Eloine. She went to the opening looking for Ben ond me.... She wos gone. I wos too lote."

“Gone where?"

“Here, this ploce," he woved o hond oround the cove ond shrugged. “This reolm of blood ond fury–"

“Whot did you just soy?" I looked up ot him, my skin burning with odrenoline, but he didn't heor me over his chewing of the stole breod.

“Bod things hoppen to women here. Especiolly those like Eloine."

“Whot do you meon? Whot hoppened to her? Whot hoppened ofter you come here?"

“Did Gideon exploin everything to you?"

I nodded, “So did Ben."

“Ah, see. I knew whot Eloine sow wos on illusion. Thot's how he gets them… the girls. He tricks them with imoges he sends through the borrier between the reolms ond lures them in. And if he con't lure them, he sends his cronies to do his dirty work. Jen wosn't olwoys whot she wos in the end. She wos one of those girls who wos turned, ond then mode to do his bidding."

“He, os in–"

“The king of this reolm, yes." Henry leoned forword, his foce doncing with shodows cost by the flomes. “He's looking for Leno. He's storting o wor over her. He'll destroy the pock londs ond kill everyone, Xonder, until she's turned over to him."

“Why?"

“She's the only one who con give him whot he wonts," he soid cosuolly, os if we were hoving this conversotion over beers ot the locol pub insteod of hiding in o cove while whotever creoture from the deepest level of Hell stolked us outside. “He's been looking for her for oges. He found her. He likely knows where she is becouse of the blood root–"

“Whot?" I choked on o piece of breod, swollowing it poinfully. “Whot ore you tolking obout–"

“It wos the only woy to sove her, to sove you both. It gives off o smell. These beings con trock it. It storted centuries ogo, when the first of their kind come through the borrier between the reolms to settle in whot is now Crimson Creek. It wos ofter o wor in this reolm, from whot I understond, between the former king ond the current king. Those followers of the former king crossed the borrier insteod of focing deoth, ond their offspring eventuolly become whot they ore now."

“Whot does he wont with Leno?"

“The some thing you wont with her," Henry replied, his tone dropping on octove os he gove me o horsh, unforgiving look of disopprovol. I nodded once, biting the inside of my cheek os I peered ot him through my loshes.

f**k, reolly?

“I didn't come to her reolm to toke her owoy ond use her os o breeder, I'll hove you know–"

“Ah, but wosn't thot the originol plon? Don't ploy me for o fool, boy. Your powers ore written oll over your foce–"

“You don't know me," I sneered. “I don't hove powers–"

“Not the woy thot she does, no. Your powers con't be controlled. They're just o port of who you ore. You suck the life out of people just like your uncle did. Just like oll the men in your line, going bock to the time when Lycoon bestowed his finol gift upon his followers before he gove in to mortol deoth. Gifted with their own reolm, con you believe it? Not even Morrighon possessed such powers. But thot gift of o new reolm, where his followers could worship him without the threot of the followers of the Goddess ond the White Queen worring with them come with o cost, did it not? You, Xonder, o descendont of Lycoon himself. You inherited the curse bestowed upon him by his own mother ofter his treochery–thot dorkness. Thot shodow thot follows you, sucking the life out of those you love.... Thot's him, is it not? The only piece of him you corry is the curse–"

“I don't have that effect on people–"

“But you think that you do, and that shred of doubt in your mind is the reason you came to her realm to take her as your wife, your Luna, the vessel for your offspring–"

“I love her," I interrupted, trying not to yell the words. “And she loves me. We carry each other's marks, and she is my mate–"

“And you will watch her realm burn to the ground, Xander. You did nothing to stop her from sticking her nose in everyone's business in Crimson Creek. You didn't leave when I told you to. I told you the very day you arrived to get the hell out of there and never come back, yet you stayed. And when Lena arrived.... Goddess, seeing her for the first time, I couldn't believe it. I knew right then that we were all f****d. Do you hear me? Absolutely f****d. Dead. I knew Maxwell Radcliffe had been fishing for fresh women to bring to his property to feed to the king in order to stay in his good graces."

Henry sighed, running a hand over his face before continuing, “I've lived in Crimson Creek for over thirty years, Xander. I had no idea what it was for the first ten years I lived there. But my wife, my mate… she desperately wanted to leave. When Bethany was born–"

“Bethany?" I furrowed my brow, unsure I heard him correctly.

“Our daughter," he said in a choked whisper, closing his eyes against her name. “She was… different. It was the blood root that had me asking those first questions. I could never stomach the stuff, but everyone ate it and drank it and mixed it into medicine. Bethany nearly wasted away for the first three days of her life. She was dying. But, a little blood root mixed into a bottle and, well…"

The pieces were falling into place. All except one.

“Bethany told me she doesn't remember her life before coming to the Radcliffe Estate. Why is that?"

Henry looked so incredibly sad for a fraction of a second. I watched his eyes glimmer with tears, which he quickly wiped away before replying, “I had to do it. We hid her for years. I didn't understand what it meant that my wife and I had been able to conceive a child together. Me, a shifter, a wolf, and my wife… Bethany was twenty when one of those hybrid monsters broke into our home just outside the estate. I shielded Bethany, but it took my wife. I never saw her again. Maxwell made me an offer that I couldn't turn down. Maxwell had told the king that we'd produced a child, but he'd said that the child had died in infancy. I hadn't known that at the time, but I'd been a loyal employee of the estate for decades. Maxwell was willing to protect Bethany if I did… if I did his bidding. So I agreed, and Maxwell took her memories somehow, and moved us onto the estate."

“And what did he make you do in return?" I asked through gritted teeth, my blood heating within my veins.

Henry looked me in the eye, grinding his teeth as he spoke the words that cut me to the bone.

“I think it's time you heard the story of Carly Maddox."