Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder novel Chapter 850

Chapter 56 : Unlikely Allies

*Eliza*

The building must have been used as some kind of common space for the people of Abe's village. It was a wide, open space with several long tables able to seat dozens of people as well as bookshelves lining the walls. There was a single hallway leading away from the common area, and one of the doors was ajar. Light spilled into the darkened hallway as I held Scarlett's hand and led her forward.

I could feel her hesitation. The air around us was thick and electric. One glance at her face and I knew she was likely going to faint when we reached the room, especially now that childlike laughter was filling the air around us.

The voices of women cut through the chatter as we approached the door. Scarlett paused, digging in her heels.

“I can't," she squeaked, looking up at me with wide eyes and a flushed face. “I can't!"

“Why? He's your son—"

“He has no idea who I am. He wouldn't have been told anything about me, Liza. I was never considered his mother. I was just a vessel—"

I grabbed her by the shoulders. “Stop it, Scarlett. Look at me! Look at me right now."

She sheepishly held my gaze, tears welling in her eyes.

“He's probably terrified. His father was just killed, and he was taken by strangers to this place. Now I'm here to take him. I'm just another stranger taking him to another strange place—"

“You're taking your son home, Scarlett," I said with force, wiping a tear from her cheek. “He needs you. He's always needed you. He should have never been taken from you to begin with. I don't care if that's how things are done here," I ground out, tears welling in my own eyes as she began to crumble in my arms. “It shouldn't have happened. It shouldn't have happened to you and I am sorry. I am so sorry—"

“Are you here to see the boy?" came a light, feminine voice down the hallway.

We both turned our heads at the same time, finding a woman standing a few yards away from us. She gave us both a sympathetic smile, her eyes creasing as she beckoned us over.

“Abel said you looked just like the boy. Look at you," she took Scarlett's trembling hand as she came within reaching distance, her fingers closing around Scarlett's. “Oh, my dear. There is no doubt this child is yours."

The woman must have sensed the emotional turmoil Scarlett was experiencing. I reluctantly let go of Scarlett, watching as they turned into the mysterious room. The sound of laughter rang through the air, followed by the clanging of toys and little footsteps darting around. There was more than one child in the room… there had to be.

And I was right, I realized, as I crossed the threshold of the doorway and stepped into the light of a large room decorated with all of the colors of the rainbow. At least a dozen children, most under the age of five, zigzagged around the room in a chaotic fashion while four women tended to them.

Scarlett was standing in the center of the room with the kind woman's hand pressed lightly against her lower back. The woman was speaking softly to Scarlett, her eyes fixed on Scarlett's face.

But Scarlett was rigid as a statue, her back to me, her eyes focused on a small boy with a gleaming mop of cherry red hair who was playing with blocks in the corner of the room.

My heart was in my throat.

He really did look exactly like her.

I choked back a sob as I ran my hands over my face, wiping away the tears. Someone touched my elbow and I turned around, finding Abe standing beside me, dabbing at a split lip. One of his eyes was red, the skin around it puffy and turning a hellish crimson.

“I think Jared and I are going to be friends again," he said sarcastically, meeting my eyes. Then he threw his head back in a chuckle, wincing a bit as he tucked his bloodied handkerchief in his jacket pocket.

“Did he do that to your face?" I asked, my voice slightly wobbly from emotion. I was still reeling from Scarlett's reunion with her son and had momentarily forgotten that Jared and his besties were outside and had beat the s**t out of half of Abe's warriors.

“The rest of my body is worse," he grimaced, shrugging painfully. “I deserved it for saying I took you to bed. I don't know why I said it. I just couldn't resist."

“You're a menace, aren't you? You just wanted to get a rise out of him."

“Of course I did," he said, rocking on his heels. A little girl ran up to him with a jar full of marbles. He c****d a brow at her, popping the jar open and handing it back. She scurried off, giggling. “I can't tell you why because I honestly don't know. There's just something about Jared that makes me want to push every button he has until he pops."

“It's the shadow," I replied, knowing exactly what he was talking about. “That unearthly… fury."

“That power," he corrected, but he nodded his head nonetheless. “He had it before he turned twenty-one, you know. It was never a secret that he was a Dark King, or Lord, whatever they call it now. I was always fascinated by it but he never unleashed it, no matter how badly I pestered him."

He paused as the sound of marbles pinging off the shallow carpet echoed through the room.

“Well, I'll be in trouble for this," he breathed, giving one of the women a boyish smile in apology as she scowled in our direction. “Walk with me?"

I glanced at Scarlett, who was now kneeling beside her son, her shaking hands helping him build a tower. Her face was pale, her mouth stretched in a thin line. But her eyes were wide and dry, focused on the boy with every ounce of her being.

I let out my breath and nodded at Abe, who offered me his hand. I glared at him.

“Still warming up to me. I get it."

“Who are you, exactly?" I asked as we left the room.

“I like to think of myself as an Alpha to these people," he began as we slowly made our way down the hallway. “But I'm just another mercenary, another bandit… maybe even a rogue, but not the soulless kind, mind you." He wagged a finger at me and then motioned for me to sit across from him at one of the long tables in the common room.

“Why does Jared hate you so much? I don't believe for a second it's because you beat him up."

“Well, that was obviously a lie," he snorted, leaning back and crossing his legs. He waved a hand over his face, highlighting his injuries. “I mean, look at me. Jared could kill me with just his ice-cold glare of death if he really wanted to."

I couldn't help but smile, nodding in understanding. Then I bit back that smile and narrowed my eyes on him again.

Was I really starting to… like Jared's arch nemesis? Maybe I was… not going to lie.

“To answer your question," he sighed, flexing his hands over his knees, “it's because I am charming and devilishly handsome, and he just couldn't stand it."

I tilted my head to the side, narrowing my eyes into slits.

“I am manipulative and a well-trained spy, darling. Jared conquers with his fists and whereas I just use my smile to make even the most daring Alphas bend to my will. Had I been in Suncrest with you instead of Jared, I would have had Aeris eating out of my f*****g hands within an hour just by charming him with my words. Jared likes the chase, the hunt, the violent end. He didn't used to be like that, though. I didn't like the idea of Jared becoming the leader of our village because I thought it would be bad for him personally, not because I was jealous he was chosen over me, or because I didn't think he'd do a fine job. I know he has and will continue to do so… for the next four months, at least."

A stunning realization prickled through my body as Abe continued, his eyes downcast on the table.

“I was worried about him and what he'd become. He was so… focused on ignoring the curse and carrying on like nothing was going to happen. I knew being our leader meant he'd stop looking for a solution for his own problem. I realized I'd lost him, and I left because I couldn't bear to see him suffer a fate worse than death. I felt responsible in a way… I tried to talk some sense into him but—"

“It's like arguing with a brick wall?"

He flicked his eyes to mine, smiling.

“I thought maybe I could take the title of leader away from him by force. He nearly killed me. I licked my wounds and went to war a few months later."

I believed him… every word.

“But now you're in the picture," he said, clicking his tongue. “Interesting indeed. Now what are you going to do?"

“I'm going to break the curse," I said, matter-of-factly.

“I believe you."

I swallowed back the feeling blossoming in my chest. Abe had said those words and meant it, I could see it. I could feel it.

I wish I could convince Jared of it, too.

“Those children in that room," Abe said, his tone dropping an octave as he changed the subject. “That's my real work, Eliza. All of them are the sons and daughters of breeders. I find them and try to reunite them with their mothers."

“Really?"

He nodded, sighing deeply. His typically upbeat and boyish mask shifted into one of dismay and maybe even violence as he met my eyes once more.

“I have spies in every territory, every pack, and every village. I would have found Scarlett eventually and reunited her with her son. It was never about a ransom. The packs never pay the ransoms, anyway. A lost child is just that, lost. The Alphas just find another breeder and the wheel continues to spin."

“That's… awful."

“It is. My mother was a breeder, my father an Alpha. She escaped shortly before I was born. She never recovered from it. I made it my mission to stop the practice. Alpha King Alexander is finally making progress, at least in the east."

“So, you'll let Scarlett take him home?"

“Unless they want to remain here, yes. Several women who I've reunited with their children stay here. They are given homes and jobs and the children receive schooling." He leaned over the table, taking my hand in his before I could react. “What I am saying to you is that I am not a monster."

“I know," I admitted.

He squeezed my hand, and I squeezed it back. “So, we're friends now."

“Fine," I breathed. “We are friends."

He clapped his hands together, exceedingly pleased.

“Great, now that that's settled, let's patch things up with your mate, shall we?"

“Wait—"

Abe was already striding toward the door leading out into the village. I flexed my jaw, shaking my head as a chill ran up my spine.

I was still so hurt… just devastated by what had happened between me and Jared. I didn't have anything to say to him, not at all.

“He has to believe I want you," Abe said from the threshold of the common room.

I looked up from the table.

“He has to believe I want you for this to work. You also need to be… more docile than you'd normally be."

“What are you talking about—"

He stalked back over to me, extending his hand as if to help me out of the seat I was currently glued to.

“I know Jared, okay? That man and I were like brothers at one point. The way he looked at you—" he gritted his teeth, shaking his head. “I've never seen him look at anything like that before. He wants to have nothing to lose. The longer he thinks that's true, the less time he has to break this curse. Someone else will take over as the leader of his village. Someone else will see to the safety of his people when he's gone. The world won't stop moving just because he's dead—" He squeezed my hand, a pleading look flashing behind his eyes. “But your world will, won't it?"

I found it hard to breathe. I couldn't hide the emotion clouding my vision as I nodded reluctantly.

“And you'd do anything to save his life?"

“I would," I said, a little breathless.

“I will help you break this curse. You have my word and my word is good, I promise you… but now we play the game."

“I'm familiar with games," I replied, but my stomach was in knots. “But I don't want to fool Jared."

“You won't have to," he said, a wicked grin replacing his charming smile. “Leave that to me."