Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder novel Chapter 624

Chapter 124 : Pain of the Aftermath

*Oliver*

Xander was a f*****g mess in every way.

He was just staring at me as he sat on the cot, his eyes narrowed on my face as I did my best to explain what had happened, what I'd done, and why.

I could barely form the words. He wasn't the only one who had lost their mate. He wasn't the only one who'd lived, while the other part of their soul was left behind in a realm that no longer existed.

I hadn't had a choice. It was Lena's life or the lives of many… hundreds of thousands of lives, to be exact.

I knew in my soul that Lena would've wanted it this way. She made that decision for herself the moment she gripped that pale yellow stone in her hands and whispered beneath her breath to spare Xander's life in place of her own.

I had been furious. I leaped for her but crashed into the blood-soaked ground in King Nikolas's castle, and Lena had been gone.

It was Narcissa who whispered frantically in my ear, her long silver fingers wrapping around my upper arm. “We need to go, wolf prince. You are the one to end this."

Me. It was going to have to be me.

A single whisper from Narcissa swept our group from the castle to the entrance of the portal in a split second. All around us the Death Walkers, those gray and molting vampires, turned to ash and dust. Their king's death had spurred a massive die-off in that realm, but I didn't have a moment to ponder the significance of it, not at the time.

I felt her then, my mate. It was a desperate tug on the weak bond I'd felt in my heart my entire life. I hadn't even had a chance to lay eyes on her. I hadn't spoken a single word to her. Until that point, her existence was just a fleeting hope in my heart. I had hoped, wished, that one day we'd meet. Maybe after the war, or even during.

She was still there, in that realm of blood.

Save one, or many?

I cleared my throat as I looked up at Xander, who was waiting for me to continue.

“John, Colton, and the rest of the warriors Lena and I brought through the portal brought you back to our realm. I watched them pass through. Queen Kiern was forced by Narcissa to cross over as well, and she did, tearfully, begging Narcissa for more time. I don't know how long we stood there as the last of the lower vampires crossed that portal, running for their lives. It was the worst thing I've ever seen, Xander. Absolutely f*****g heartbreaking."

“Zeke and Penny?" he asked, and I nodded, tilting my head to the side as I let go of a breath.

“They were some of the last. Zeke was covered in blood, flanked by Penny and a few lower vampire males I didn't know–guards, royal guards, by the looks of it. They crossed through, and they were the last to come. I waited for what felt like hours."

“Why did you wait?"

“I was waiting for my mate," I breathed. I had no tears left to cry. My body and mind were numb, emotionless; there was nothing back darkness left. Maybe it would always be like this now. Maybe that was a blessing.

Xander shifted his weight, flexing his hands over his lap.

“Narcissa took me by the hand and told me it was time. She told me the king still had warriors in my own realm. She said there would always be conflict between the two realms. New kings would rise, new threats would make themselves known. More would die, as they were dying now, in Breles. I told her to cross through."

“You were going to–"

“I was going to stay, and close the portal from the… I was going to close myself in."

Xander said nothing in response. He continued to stare, his face void of expression but darkening around my words as I continued.

“There won't be anything left of this realm," Narcissa had told me, urging me to follow her. “It's over. It's done. When you close that portal, my father will destroy it all. I made him a deal. I said I would get my people out before he ended this. I've done my part. You must come with me, wolf. You must."

But I didn't move. I refused. The beautiful, terrifying woman in front of me pleaded with me, begging me at one point on her knees. A Goddess in her own right, on her knees in front of a mere mortal.

“You will be a great king one day," she'd continued. “Your rule will be nothing but peace and joy for all of your people–"

“There is no joy," I had replied, growing furious at her bribery, “if I have no mate to rule beside.... And if my cousin is dead…"

“Your family cannot suffer another loss," she pleaded.

That had struck a chord with me. I thought of my mother, my father… my brothers. Will would likely not even care, no tears staining his cheeks. But Charlie and Lucas?

Rowan and Hanna had lost their only daughter–their only child.

The only thing that got my feet moving toward that portal was the notion that it needed to be me to break the news, to tell them the truth about what Lena had done, for all of us, and what she'd sacrificed.

I felt the mate bond tug one more time as I looked over my shoulder into the realm of the vampires, and then I crossed over.

Chaos… full night… hybrids were attacking the refugee camps and our warriors were doing their best to defend the lower vampires who had crossed to seek refuge.

Narcissa let out a blood curdling scream, sensing the death and suffering of the people she had loved. She'd never been their ruler. She'd been a god to them, a mother.

The portal was their last tether to the king and their realm. The guards and beasts had died along with their king in the realm of blood, why not here? Was it because the portal was still open? Was it that the last remnants of the magic that bound them to the king wasn't able to cross over the field of energy and starlight?

Something snapped inside of me as I watched Narcissa run toward Crimson Creek, her silver dress billowing out behind her. Warriors stood in shock as she passed, their weapons drawn but frozen, useless.

Grief–this whole realm was embraced in crushing grief. We had years of rebuilding and recovery in front of us. We'd have countless dead to bury, countless children to care for who would be growing up without parents who had died in the bloodshed.

People would be displaced. I'd burned some of those villages and towns. I'd burned homes down the foundations, dinners left on dining room tables like they'd fled before sitting down to eat. Children's toys had charred and melted, books and paintings had turned to ash.

I raised my hands toward the portal and let every ounce of power running through my veins burst forward, unsure of how, or why, I knew this was something I was capable of.

We were showered in a blinding light. I saw my own birth through my own eyes, the very first thing I saw was my grandmother, Rosalie, hovering over me. She'd been so young then, twenty-two years ago. She'd saved my life. She held my tiny face between her hands and breathed life into me when I should have died right there, in that little cot, separated from my mother, who was dying across the room.

“You will do great things," my grandmother had said through endless tears.

The vision faded in another flash of searing light, and I opened my eyes to find myself flat on my back, a hush falling over the scorched clearing.

“We drove you back to Breles," I told Xander, leaning forward to rest my elbow on my knees, hands hanging between them. “You were dying. I wanted to just let you die. I should have, and I'm sorry for it. It was John and Colton who refused to not render you aide."

Xander gave me a tight nod, his throat bobbing as he swallowed. I noticed how his eyes glistened with emotion, but I said nothing. He could still feel, which was good. Maybe he'd heal from this, from his loss and his injuries, and move on.

I never would. I knew that much. I felt it in my bones. I'd thrown every fiber of my being into closing that portal. I had nothing left inside of me now. I was empty. I was broken. I deserved to be this way, forever. I'd sacrificed my mate, a woman I would never have the opportunity to know, to save my home.

The healer came back inside the tent and shot me the dirtiest look I'd ever seen. I didn't care. I was beyond caring about anything.

I rose from the stool and walked out into the camp, leaving Xander in the care of the healer. I wandered aimlessly for a long time, avoiding those I knew, my own family. I ended up in a part of Breles I recognized as the university district, which was nothing more than rubble and charred buildings now. I sat on the edge of a cracked fountain and looked out at the wide expanse of destruction.

The sun was shining, a bluebird day, not a single cloud in the sky. It was spring, and even through the rubble, sparks of green had begun to bloom.

Life would go on. Time would pass. Days would turn to weeks, then months, then years. It was already happening.

I watched a caravan of armored trucks roll past, moving toward the outskirts of the city to Crimson Creek. The trucks were piled high with supplies, food and water and medicine. A flickering of warmth sparked in my heart but was quickly staunched by the ebbing blackness taking over my body. My kind… they'd care for the vampires who had escaped the hell they'd been enslaved in. They would be safe. I would see to that myself, if need be.

I felt someone's presence nearby and turned my head, rushing to my feet in shock. Alma was standing only a few paces away, her face shielded by a hood, her skin cover covered by thick dark clothing and gloves.

“I thought you were dead," I said, my voice cracking around the words.

“I underestimated you," she replied, reaching out to squeeze my hand. “I'm going back to Crimson Creek. There's someone I need you to meet."