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

ones, the squirrels and rabbits, jumped on them and bit them. All of

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

animals pushed Hawke and his group further and further away from me.

summoned by someone. I glanced around the forest and

trees. He could also organize an

I didn't believe in

must be some sort of connection between Theo

As soon as I started approaching the woods, he vanished between the trees. This

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

out to grab his

growled and pulled away from

are you doing? Why 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

to figure out some other way

you for that. Can you just wait a minute,

He didn't turn to face me but at least, he wasn't running away.

to him. "It is different this time because I need your help."

arched. "Is that supposed

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

asked

I stay with you? I can't go back to the

he was more intolerable than the Dark

was wrong with me?!

I could tell myself that I had a valid reason to stay with the man in front of me. It was

with

with him but he hadn't flat out denied me, either. I decided to take that as a yes and

it was quiet. It seemed like most of the performers had gone to bed for the night. Nelson was still up and he waved casually at

course, Tallis just waved

spare his friendly, charismatic brother a friendly greeting. Who else did I know that was just

you, Tallis?" Nelson asked. "Ah, young sir,

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

"Would it kill you to try to sound happy?”

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

head. I gave him a triumphant

Nelson asked, motioning for us to follow

curtain office. He had a hot plate going with

ladle into

I admitted, my

Nelson said, bustling around the small

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

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