Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder novel Chapter 583

Chapter 83 : Full Sail Ahead

*Xander*

By the grace of the Goddess, the first person we ran into was Oliver. It had been random–Abigail, Adrian, Sasha, and I were walking through the market square on our way to the palace with little more than the clothes on our backs.

Oliver looked shocked, his face draining of color as he stalked toward us, glancing over each shoulder to make sure no one he knew, I assumed his family, was around to see the group of us together.

If I hadn't been carrying Sasha in my arms, Oliver would have decked me in the jaw. I knew it; he knew it. We fixed each other with glares so intense that Sasha squirmed and Abigail cleared her throat, looking exceedingly uncomfortable.

“We need to talk–"

“You're f*****g right," Oliver ground out, fury blazing behind every single word. He tilted his head toward the edge of the market square where the golden facades of the buildings housing the resorts and restaurants faded into more commercial-type buildings, shadowed by palm trees.

The market square was vibrating with activity, but not because of a celebration, market, or event. Warriors milled about, some in their wolf forms decked out in armor, while lines of young men and women stretched far beyond the square itself.

These people… all of these people–they were signing up to fight.

My heart squeezed in my chest as we cut through line after line of fresh-faced youths, all of them bursting with excitement and pride. I felt helpless. I wanted to reach out to one young man in particular, who looked as though he couldn't have been more than eighteen, and shake him, telling him to go home, to save his own life.

Oliver led us through the fray and down a long, dimly lit alleyway that opened up to a residential neighborhood of neat townhouses on a palm tree-lined street. He waved us over, silently motioning for us to keep up as we followed him down the street and into a long, curved driveway leading to a stand-alone house with a lush front garden.

“Get inside before anyone sees you," he growled in a low warning tone as we shuffled inside the house. There was no need to turn on the light in the foyer. Sunlight poured through the windows, glimmering off pale wood finishes and white carpets. Oliver shut the door soundly behind us and turned around.

“Come with me, Sasha," Abigail said hurriedly as I set the girl down.

Sasha stuck out her bottom lip and reached for me, but I shook my head, giving her an apologetic look as she disappeared around the corner to what appeared to be a sitting room. The furniture in the house was modern and clean-cut, all whites and neutrals. Oliver crossed his arms over his chest, his jaw flexed as he glanced between Adrian and me.

“Where the f**k have you been?" he snarled.

“This is a fine house," Adrian said, whistling as he rocked on his heels and looked up at the domed ceiling.

“Uh, thanks–"

“Lena is in danger and we need a boat to Breles, now." I watched Oliver's face contort with rage as he took in my words, his different-colored eyes shining like blue and gray gems polished to a fine finish.

“What–"

I told him everything, from the beginning–about Crimson Creek, about the Vampire King, about the Night realm and Henry and the missing women. His face fell further and further as Adrian took over and explained the battle in Cedar Hollow, and what Lena had done to stop it.

“They took her," I said firmly. “And we need to get her back before they give her to the king."

Oliver gaped, opening and closing his mouth like a fish. “What the fuck–"

“We need a boat!" I said through clenched teeth, my hands curling into fists.

“How the f**k am I supposed to get you a boat to Breles? Do you see how many people are signing up to fight?"

“Your dad was a captain–a pirate, right?" Adrian said, the corners of his mouth tightening as they curved into a smile.

Oliver raised his eyebrows at us, a choked laugh escaping his lips before he could stop himself. “You're kidding–"

“I'm guessing his old boat isn't being used to take warriors to Breles, is it?" I added, catching Adrian's drift with a smile. “What was the name of it?"

“You want me to let you take the Persephone to Breles? Do you have a death wish?"

“Yes," Adrian and I said in unison, and Oliver choked on another laugh, his eyes going wide and he dissolved into hearty laughter.

“That's actually really funny. I thought you were serious–" but he stopped laughing, his eyes narrowing on the severity of our expressions. “Wait, you are serious–"

“Can you pilot it?" I asked, cutting him off.

“Yeah, I… wait–"

“Well," Adrian said, slapping his thighs as he stepped toward Oliver, who was too stunned to speak. “Let's go–"

“You want me to help you steal the Persephone in broad daylight?" he gasped as Adrian patted him firmly on the back, moving him toward the door.

“Your family hates me already," I said with a wry smile. “We have nothing left to lose."

***

We left Abigail and Sasha behind in Oliver's house with instructions to go to the palace the next day and explain what we were doing, giving us a day's lead before Lena's family found out about her situation. It seemed like the best option. She could facilitate our plans while handling the family, and then meet us in Breles once we had Lena.

It turned out the Alpha of Poldesee, Troy, was already in Breles with the first fleet of warriors, and Luna Maeve was holding down the fort. We assumed that meant Keaton, the Beta of Poldesse, was with Troy....

But we soon found out that we were wrong.

Oliver snapped back to reality during our journey to the ship, a crushing truth hitting him as we ran through the city center and into the tropical jungle that cut the palace off from the rest of Avondale. He was willing to help and understood our urgency. There would be no need to tie him to the helm, after all. Apparently, the Persephone was being housed in a sheltered cove nearby, and Oliver knew where to find it, and the code to get through the gate.

I'd heard about the Persephone, but seeing it took my breath away. It was constructed from golden wood, four or five stories high and modernized with three massive engines. But it was a man-of-war, a ship that would have sailed the seas centuries ago, and it was in stunning condition.

“Holy s**t," I murmured as we stood atop a bluff and looked down at it. Oliver smirked, crossing his arms over his chest as he gazed down upon the ship in all its glory.

“Damn," Adrian laughed, clapping us both on the back as we admired it for a moment.

“And there's no one aboard?"

“The crew went with the Navy," Oliver said with certainty, a gleam of mischief replacing the fury that had once danced behind his eyes. “But I was serious about this being a death wish. You're both going to die."

“You're going down with us," Adrian quipped as we followed Oliver down the bluff and onto a wide dock.

I looked to my right and noticed a tall house built in the trees against the cove. Sunlight reflected off the windows, sending a spray of rainbows across the sand.

“Who lives there?" I asked, and Oliver squinted his eyes toward the house as he pulled on a rope ladder along the side of the ship and began to climb up.

“Keaton and his family," he answered, and I said nothing further, focusing on the incredibly steep climb.

After a few minutes, we were on the deck, taking instruction from Oliver as we began to climb the ratlines to let down the sails. Oliver disappeared below deck for a moment, and soon a gentle hum reverberated as the anchor rose from the cove's floor.

Oliver reappeared, looking pleased with our progress as the mainsail billowed in the wind.

“We can't use the engine until we get out of the–"

“OLIVER! What the f**k are you doing!" came a bellow of surprise and frustration from the bluff. We nearly snapped our necks as we looked up and saw a blonde, middle-aged man running down the bluff toward the dock.

“Oh, s**t! We need to go–full sail, or whatever the f**k!" Oliver stammered, the mischief in his eyes glimmering even brighter than before.

“Who is that guy?" Adrian asked, but Oliver was at the helm, screaming at us to finish dropping the sails. The wind caught the mainsail, filling it up until the sail went taunt and the boat launched forward into the cove.

“Oliver! You motherfucker, stop!" cried the man, and I watched as I hung from the rat lines as the man leaped toward the boat, arms outstretched, and missed the rope ladder by mere inches, falling into the water.

I gaped as the man appeared again, his face red with fury and blond hair sticking to his face as he was treading water in the boat's wake.

“IT'S AN EMERGENCY!" Oliver bellowed, his mouth pulled into a wide, almost delirious smile. He whooped, and we joined in, glee and adrenaline coursing through our veins as the Persephone left the cove.

“YOU BASTARDS!" came the man's voice, faded with distance as the ship moved gracefully through the calm water.

“That was Keaton," Oliver said casually. “He must be leaving with the new recruits."

“Isn't this your dad's boat?" Adrian asked, then swung down from the rat lines, glowing with excitement.

“No. It's Keaton's. We're just going to borrow it for a few days, right?"

I felt like a teenager as I grinned broadly, looking around the ship and taking it all in.

“I need an eye patch!" Adrian laughed, leaning over at the waist to look down at the water.

“How long until we reach Breles?" I asked, swallowing back the delirium.

Oliver turned the ship toward open water, away from Avondale.

“A day at the most, unless we hit bad weather."

A day–just one more day… a day to Breles, then another few hours to Crimson Creek.

I'd have Lena back. She'd be okay.

And I'd kill anyone who got in my way, and everyone who hurt her.

“I need you to take the helm," Oliver said to me, motioning for me to meet him on the uppermost deck where a steering wheel as large as the average man was housed. “Just hold it steady while I turn on the engines."

I nodded as I walked up the stairs and took over the helm, glancing at Adrian as he walked across the deck to look at the water on the other side.

Avondale disappeared behind us, and we faced open water.