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.

him, trying to pull the beasts away, but when

on them and bit them. All of them were screaming and floundering around like they were

Hawke looked so pathetic, trying to fight off a gaggle of wild animals with his near useless arms. His guys hardly seemed to

Hawke and his group

glanced around the forest and saw a glimpse of shadow in the

standing in the trees. He could also organize

believe in such

minimum, there must be some sort of connection between Theo and Tallis.

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

with him. He was acting like he was trying to evade me, which made me think he didn't want me

to grab his arm before he could

growled and pulled

you doing? Why are you following me? I told you, I' m not who you think I am. How many times do

to figure out some other way

Can you just wait a minute,

face me but at

breath and moved closer to him. "It is different this time because

one eyebrow arched. "Is that supposed

come after me three times now and I don't think he will stop. I've been lucky, but if I stay in

asked sharply.

traveling carnival. Can I stay with you? I

thin and glared at me. He was so surly and grumpy all the time. I almost thought he was more intolerable than the Dark Prince. Yet, here

was wrong with me?!

valid reason to stay with the

safe place to stay. So, can I stay with you?" | asked again, pleading with him

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

to the carnival tent, it was quiet. It seemed like most of the performers had gone to bed for the

just waved in

my eyes at him. He couldn't even spare his friendly, charismatic brother a friendly greeting. Who else did I know

Tallis?" Nelson asked. "Ah, young

to stay with me," Tallis grumbled in a slightly annoyed

a look. "Would it kill you to try to sound happy?”

absolutely surprised at us, and then laughed heartily and wiped a tear from his eye. "Yes, m'boy, it would probably

head. I gave

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

into Nelson's curtain office. He had a hot plate going with a big pot

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

smells delicious," I admitted, my stomach

Nelson said,

only one chair and Tallis nodded toward it. I sat down and he stood right behind me. I'd half

three bowls of soup and handed one to me and Tallis. He perched on the edge of his folding table desk