Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 74: I'll Take That as a Yes.

Alright, Tallis and Theo might be two different people, but they both could be jerks!

Since the conversation with Tallis didn't go anywhere, I decided to call it a night.

But what I didn't expect was a group of thick, muscular thugs that appeared from nowhere, blocking my way back to my parents' house. They snickered and closed in around me.

"What do you want?" I asked harshly.

"They don't want anything. However, we have an unfinished score to settle," Hawke's angry, frustrated voice barked out from behind the thugs.

"I didn't do anything to you," I insisted, crossing my arms and trying to act more like a guy.

"Well, the last time we spoke, I ended up knocked out and face down in the dirt. You're telling me that you had nothing to do with that?" Hawke shouted viciously.

Apparently, he remembered more than I hoped. He wasn't drunk tonight, either.

"Grab this little twit!" Hawke ordered.

His thugs jumped at me. I jumped back, but they'd already closed in around me and one caught me from behind. All four of them grabbed my arms and legs and pinned me down to the ground.

I struggled against them, hissing and trying to bite whatever got close to my mouth. Hawke's thugs were too well trained and they were too strong!

"Hold that little swine down. I'm going to teach him a lesson for messing with me," Hawke chuckled, shoving the toe of his boot into the ground.

Now that I was eye level with his boots, I could see they were steel toed. If he kicked me with those, he'd break every bone in my body. I had to stall him.

"That's funny, seeing as the last time we met, you seemed to be interested in me, regardless of me being a boy," I hissed, still struggling against his cronies holding me down.

One of them nearly let me go as his head whipped around to Hawke.

Hawke sneered and shook his head. "Don't listen to this piece of crap. He's just trying to mess with you. Hold him steady."

Nothing I said now would turn their heads. Whether they were all loyal to Hawke or to Hawke's cunning dad, it wouldn't save me a good beating.

Hawke pulled his foot back, knee bent, ready to deliver a horrible kick to my side. I closed my eyes and held my breath, waiting for the heavy blow.

It never came.

"What the..."

I opened my eyes just as a pack of wild animals burst from the forest and attacked Hawke.

"Get them off, get them off!" Hawke screeched, flapping his partially broken arms around like he was fending off a swarm of bees.

trying to pull the beasts

the smaller ones, the squirrels and rabbits, jumped on them and bit them. All of them were screaming and floundering around like they were on fire.

off a gaggle of wild animals with his near useless arms. His guys hardly seemed

and his group further and further away from me.

I glanced around the forest and saw a glimpse

the trees. He could also organize

didn't believe in

some sort of connection between Theo and Tallis.

ignored Hawke's continued cries for help and I went after Tallis. As soon as

was trying to evade me, which made me think he didn't want me to see him and made it even more

out to grab his arm before

pulled away from

are you following me? I told you, I' m not who you think I am. How many times do I have to ask you to leave me alone?"

to figure out some other way

you for that. Can you just wait

face me but at

and moved closer to him. "It

to me, one eyebrow arched. "Is that supposed to be funny?"

said, holding my hands up to show I wasn't joking. "Hawke has come after me three times now and I don't think he will stop. I've been lucky, but

asked sharply.

with the traveling carnival. Can I stay

He was so surly and grumpy all the time. I almost thought he was more intolerable than

wrong with

myself, but at this moment, I could tell myself that I had a valid reason to stay

So, can I stay with you?" | asked

again. He hadn't confirmed I could stay with him but he hadn't flat out denied me, either. I decided to take that as

It seemed like most of the performers had gone to bed for the night. Nelson was still

course, Tallis just waved in return.

friendly, charismatic brother a

asked. "Ah,

me," Tallis grumbled in a slightly

it kill you

wiped a tear from his eye. "Yes, m'boy, it would probably kill Tallis to

head. I

did you two become... friends?" Nelson asked, motioning for us to follow

Nelson's curtain office. He had a hot plate going with a big pot of soup on

hungry? I just whipped this up," he said, dipping a ladle into the steaming broth

delicious," I admitted,

bowls," Nelson said, bustling

stood right behind me. I'd half expected him to run off the

ladeled up three bowls of soup and handed one to me and Tallis. He perched on the edge