Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder novel Chapter 945

Chapter 151 : Hestia’s Lair

*Jared*

King Xander sent me an order to gather a team and clear out the Dark Forest.

I got Archer and Brandt together, along with many of my most trusted warriors, and we headed into the forest.

It was supposedly where Hestia's lair was, but all the searching we'd done in the forest before her death led to absolutely nothing.

Xander hoped that this time, it would be different. If nothing else, we could get rid of any lingering rogues or witches that were still hanging around, hopeful for Hestia's return.

The Dark Forest was crowded with old, thick trees that groaned in the wind.

My heart raced as I stepped onto the path. The air felt so close and heavy between the trees. I felt like there was a weight crushing down on me. The canopy was so dense that hardly any light got through, making the forest dark and eerie.

I had no idea what to expect within the forest. There was dark magic there, and rumors of terrifying beasts.

I could tell that my men were tense. Whenever the wind rustled dry leaves or a gnarled, twisted tree trunk groaned, they whipped around, brandishing their weapons.

Thick vines twisted around the tree trunks, making them look deformed, and some of them even looked like hunched-over people in the distance.

The shadows started playing tricks on us within seconds.

“Jared, there's a clearing up ahead," Archer spoke.

We all froze. His voice sounded so loud and harsh in the quiet, creepy forest.

“We'll start there, even if just to get a glimpse of sunlight. It might take the edge off." I nodded and took the lead, heading down the path to the clearing.

If I thought my mind would ease from entering the clearing, I was sorely mistaken....

Rising up from the center of the clearing was a tall, dark tower that blocked out the sun. It was a single spire, rising up into the sky, made of black stone. There was one door and no windows that I could see.

I tilted my head back and could barely see the top of the tower in the glare of the sun.

“This wasn't here before," I murmured, feeling my brows furrow.

What horrors were hidden in this tower?

“This must be Hestia's lair," Archer suggested.

I nodded and walked up the steps to the door. I knocked, and a loud echo rippled through the inside of the tower.

“It's possible that Hestia cloaked it with her magic, so we couldn't see it before."

“Killing her broke the spell," Archer continued.

“Everyone, on guard. This tower could be booby-trapped. Expect anything!" I ordered.

The men quickly took up a perimeter around the tower and stood at the ready.

“If her cloaking magic is gone, any protection spells she cast might be too," Archer pointed out.

“I'm not taking any chances. It doesn't take magic to put in booby traps and protect a secret lair."

I reached for the doorknob but Archer stopped me.

“Let me."

He pushed me back and opened the door. I held my breath, waiting for some strange trap to trigger. I was ready to pull Archer out of the way in a second if I had to.

The door creaked open, loudly, sending another echoing sound through the entire tower.

Archer took a step back and held the hilt of his sword.

We waited until the echoing stopped. Nothing jumped out at us.

“It seems safe," Archer murmured.

“Alright, you come with me." I pointed to several guards. “The rest of you stay on guard."

Archer, Brandt, and I went into the tower with several other warriors at our backs.

“Spread out and look around but keep quiet and keep alert. Don't touch anything. If you find something of interest, let me know and I'll come inspect it."

They nodded and spread out.

I headed to the left where the main entryway opened up into another room.

From what I could tell, there were a few rooms on the first floor and then a spiral staircase that went all the way up through the tower. It must have led to other floors higher up.

I wanted to secure the first floor first before we explored deeper.

“Alpha, in here!" Brandt called to me.

I followed his voice to another chamber. It was lit up with luminous stones, casting a dim light around the room.

In the center of the room was a mound of moonstones. They shimmered in the dim light… so many moonstones of all shapes and sizes and quality.

“I've never seen so many moonstones," Brandt muttered.

I looked around the room and found an old grimoire splayed open on a table.

“We should collect these moonstones and bring them back to the capital," I suggested as I picked up the grimoire.

While my men packed up the moonstones, I flipped through the ancient pages. Most of it was written in another language. I recognized a few words that indicated this book held all the dark secrets of Hestia and Lycaon. Xander might have scholars that could translate it.

There was one section of the book that I didn't need to translate.

It was an extensive family tree of Hestia's bloodline, showing her long lineage of dark witches.

When I came across the latest entries in the family tree, I froze.

“Archer… Hestia wasn't alone here in her lair."

“What do you mean?"

Suddenly, a loud wail filled the air.

A shiver ran down my spine and I nearly dropped the book. The cry echoed through the tower, a blood curdling scream. It tapered off into a soft sob and then went silent.