Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder novel Chapter 926

Chapter 132: The Hunt for Hestia

*Jared*

I sent scouting party after scouting party into the dark forest to look for Hestia or her lair.

Every single one came back empty-handed.

Pacing my office, I waited for Archer and Brandt to report back from their most recent scouting missions.

“Knock, knock,” a soft voice said. Zoe poked her head into my office.

I stopped pacing and smiled at her.

“What brings you here at this hour?” I motioned for her to come in.

She grinned and found a chair, easing herself into it.

She wasn’t that far along in her pregnancy, but far enough that she had a nice bump growing. Sometimes, when I looked at Zoe, I tried to imagine Eliza with a baby bump like that, and it made me miss her all the more.

“I was feeling a little lonely and wanted to see if you were around.”

“I’m here… waiting.” I sighed and sat down at my desk.

Zoe came by from time to time, just to chat. I knew she was lonely. It was clear that no one else she knew had come to Midnight Sun as refugees with her, and she seemed on the shy side, too shy to make new friends in the village.

“Waiting for what?” She bit her lower lip.

“News from Beta Archer and Brandt.”

“I hope it will be good news.” She looked at me with big, bright eyes.

I shrugged. “That’s my hope, as well. Though, I’m starting to doubt they ever will. It has been weeks, and they’ve turned up nothing.”

Her smile faded. “That’s really upsetting. Isn’t there anything more that can be done?”

“Unfortunately, not right now.” I sighed and shook my head.

“Jared….”

Miriam popped into my office. She pursed her lips, glaring at Zoe and then at me. I wasn’t sure what her problem was. Zoe was a frequent visitor to the pack house these days.

“What is it, Miriam?”

“Archer wants you to meet him outside the village.” She spoke tartly, glaring at Zoe again.

“Now?”

“Now,” she confirmed.

“I’m on it.”

I pushed back from my desk, ready to leave.

Zoe got up, too. “Can I keep you company?”

“Actually, I could use your help with something.” Miriam took Zoe’s arm and led her down the hall.

Whatever that was about….

I headed out of the village and met up with Archer. He slowed his pace and arched an eyebrow at me.

“What are you doing out here?”

“Miriam said you wanted me to meet you outside the village.”

Archer frowned. “No, I just sent word ahead that I was about twenty minutes away….”

I scoffed. Miriam was a meddler.

“Well, I’m here. Do you have good news?”

Archer and I headed back into the village, walking down the main street. All the renovations were complete and the village was thriving more than ever. I was so excited to see it grow and prosper.

There was just one thing missing… our Luna.

I could see it on my pack member’s faces. They all missed Eliza, just like I did. Her energy, determination, and positivity had helped the village grow.

Archer sighed heavily beside me. “Nothing new. We’ve scoured every inch of that forest. Hestia has vanished and left no trace of herself or her hideout.”

“Great.” I shoved my hands in my pockets.

When we got back to the packhouse, I sent Archer to get cleaned up and rest. He’d been running round-the-clock scouting missions since I returned from the capital.

The next morning at breakfast, I considered what to do next. If we couldn’t track Hestia from the dark forest, I had to think of another way to catch up with her.

There had to be something.

Perhaps, Mila could track her with magic.

“Good morning, Jared.”

Zoe grabbed a plate and sat down beside me.

“Zoe, it’s good to see you. I hope Miriam didn’t tire you out too much yesterday.”

Zoe giggled lightly and pressed her arm against mine subtly.

“You’re very considerate.”

“Zoe!”

Miriam’s voice shrilled through the kitchen.

Zoe started and pulled away from me.

“Jared has a lot on his mind and needs to focus. It would be best if you didn’t bother him.”

Zoe sighed but she picked up her plate and followed Miriam.

She always had such a sharp eye on everything happening in the pack house.

Later that afternoon, while I was still puzzling over what to do about Hestia, a messenger came with a letter from the capital.

It was addressed to me, from King Xander and Queen Lena.

They were back in the Dark Realm.

I went to my office to read the letter. It was an invitation for me to come to the palace, whenever I was ready. There was a little note that mentioned Eliza and my heart skipped a beat.

The letter told me that Eliza had fallen ill and was told not to leave the Light Realm until after she’d given birth.

I called Miriam and Archer to my office to talk about the letter and what options I had.

“Well, the choice is obvious. You should go to the Light Realm and be with your mate. The two of you are stronger together,” Miriam said.

Archer shook his head. “Jared, Hestia is still out there. She’s a great threat and needs to be dealt with.”

“Yes, but right now, she is off the grid. You’re wasting resources chasing after her. Archer and Brandt can continue to look while you go to Eliza. If they find anything, we can send word. If not, then it won’t matter.”

“She has a point,” I said to Archer.

He shook his head. “Jared, we know that Hestia is regrouping. She’ll come back stronger and more powerful. We need to get ahead of her.”

I stroked my chin and nodded.

“I think Miriam is right. We aren’t making any progress on finding Hestia. But I know that Eliza won’t feel safe in Egoren until Hestia is dead.”

“We need more resources,” Archer said.

I scoffed. “Yeah, right.”

“You just said that your brother, the Dark King, invited you to the palace. His entire city was destroyed by Hestia. You don’t think he’ll want to help?”

“I….” I chewed the inside of my cheek. I hadn’t thought of that before.

Xander and I weren’t exactly best friends. We’d only exchanged a few words. I kept thinking that I had to handle this on my own. But Xander was involved now; he might want to help.

“He might have other ideas for how to sniff her out.”

“That’s a good idea, Archer. Gather a small party. We’re going to the capital.”

***

When Archer and I arrived in the capital, I was impressed to see how much of the city had been rebuilt since the last time I’d been there.

In just a few weeks, it looked like it was almost back in working order.

A lot of refugees must have moved back, too, because the parts of the city that had been rebuilt were busy and bustling with activity.

At the palace gates, we met with King Xander, who met us personally.

“Welcome back, Jared.”

“Thank you.” I bowed to him respectfully.

“I’ve set up quarters for your travel companions. They can find them down this corridor.” He motioned down a hall as he led us through the palace.

“It’s been a long journey. Go to your rooms; get settled in. I’ll check in with you later.” I directed to my men.

They nodded and headed to their quarters. I was looking forward to a little rest myself, too.

“Might I have a word with you, privately?” Xander asked before I could follow my men.

“Very well.”

I followed Xander to his office. It was a round room with a cathedral ceiling and bookshelves lining the back wall from floor to ceiling. An ancient map of Egoren was framed on the wall, taking up almost the entire wall.

Xander turned to me with a bright smile. He looked friendly and grateful.

I smiled back, a little uneasily.

“I wanted to thank you for all the help you provided in saving the capital, and my family.”

I scoffed. “I’m not sure how safe any of us are with Hestia’s threat still out there.”

“You’re right. She is a problem that needs to be solved.”

“That’s part of the reason I accepted your invitation,” I admitted.

Xander’s brow furrowed for just a moment and then he smiled again.

“I’ve been attempting to track Hestia for weeks, now, and she continued to elude me. My scouts have followed dead end after dead end. We’re… out of options.”

Xander nodded. “Then you’re asking for my assistance?”

“I am. You have more resources, better contacts, and you know where she might hide in this world.”

“I will commit whatever is necessary to help find her. In fact, I’ve already put a bounty on her head. Soon, she will have nowhere to hide.”

“That’s… good news.”

Xander sighed and sat down at his desk. He motioned to a nearby chair for me. I sat uneasily. This was a much more casual meeting than I’d anticipated.

A servant came in and poured us each a glass of whiskey. She bowed and left the bottle on Xander’s desk before leaving.

“I admit, I have my own selfish reasons for asking you to come.” Xander picked up his whiskey glass.

“And what’s that?” I narrowed my eyes. Was this the part where the other shoe dropped?

“I wanted to know more about my mother….”

I nodded slowly. It wasn’t like I didn’t expect Xander to want to know about her. He was just a kid when she left, and I’d had more time with her.

I picked up my whiskey and took a sip.

“Our mother was one of the kindest, gentlest people I’ve ever met. She–” I sighed. “I never felt like I had enough time with her, because she was taken when I was so young.”

Xander chuckled darkly. “I feel the same.”

“How about our father? What was he like?” I asked the question tentatively. There was a part of me that wasn’t sure I wanted to know about the man who had cursed my mother and me.

Xander sighed and ran his thumb up and down the edge of his glass.

“Well, he was strict and firm. But I know that he cared about our mother and us… even if he didn’t always know how to show it. I think most of his actions resulted from a desire to give us a better life. But seeing who his father was… he didn’t exactly know the right way to do that.”

I chuckled humorlessly. “I imagine that’s true.”

“Xander….”

A sweet, feminine voice floated in from the office door.

Queen Lena entered, a soft smile on her face. She gave me a warm, welcoming look and then turned her attention back to the king.

“What is it, my love?” he reached an arm out to Lena.

The Queen immediately went to Xander and let him wrap his arm around her.

I looked away, an ache filling me. I longed for Eliza harder than I had since she left.

“It is getting late, my King. You should think about retiring soon.”

I noticed Xander’s smirk as he looked at the queen.

“How can I resist? I’ll be right behind you.”

Lena nodded and left. She gave me a quick wave as she walked by me.

“I’m guessing you have your own reasons for wanting help with the search for Hestia?”

I arched an eyebrow. “I do believe it is in the realm’s best interest to find her.”

“Don’t misunderstand, I agree. But I’m guessing you want the freedom to travel to the Light Realm and collect your mate?”

“Is it that obvious?” I grumbled.

“Lena and I are traveling to the Light Realm soon. Leave the hunt for Hestia to Archer and my Beta. You can come with us.”

“I don’t know….”

Xander chuckled. “Trust me, if Eliza is anything like Lena, this is exactly what she’s waiting for.”

I smirked. “You think?”

Xander nodded. “We’ll get there just in time for the harvests, and that means the Moon Ball–a very romantic time.”

We shared a playful smile. For the first time, I felt like having a brother might not be such a bad thing.