Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 11 : There's Something Out There

♦Xander*

I found Henry in the warehouse. He'd laid the creature on a tarp and was sitting on an upside down bucket nearby, looking pale.

I walked toward the old man, not bothering to announce my presence. He knew I was there. He knew I'd be coming to him with questions.

"It's a wolf, isn't it?* I said, stopping short of the tarp. I looked down at the body of the wolf, noticing for the first time the lack of blood on the tarp, and on Henry's clothes. I peered at him, narrowing my eyes as he rose from the bucket. "Who is it?"

Henry shook his head, looking exceedingly exhausted. He ran his hand over his face, looking down at the tarp through his fingers.

"Gretta was the only worker unaccounted for in Bethany's count."

I closed my eyes, picturing the soft-spoken young woman with glasses and softly curling blonde hair who I had seen at breakfast the morning before. She hadn't been at the bonfire, of that I was certain.

"What did this to her?" I asked, but Henry shook his head, wiping his hands on his pants as he rose from the bucket.

"I don't know.’

"Lena and I heard something in the woods during the bonfire, something large-"

"It didn't come from the woods, which are inside of the perimeter," Henry breathed, giving me a look of annoyance. "It came from over the wall."

"Has this happened before?" Adrenaline was coursing through me. My fingertips prickled as I knelt down by the tarp, taking a closer look at the remains of Gretta's wolf form. There wasn't much left.

"No one is allowed to shift on the property, especially after dark. Some do... but near the village. Never here."

"You didn't answer my question," I said sharply, watching the old man closely as he stood with his hands tucked in his pockets. "What happened to her blood?"

I'd noticed blood staining the ground where her body had been found, and a splatter of it on the wall, but not nearly enough to have bled her dry like she was now. I reached out to touch the wolf, running my fingers over her fur.

"I don’t know-'

"Then who would know? Have the authorities been alerted?"

"Radcliffe is on his way."

"What authority does he have to investigate this? I'm talking about the police or the warriors belonging to the Alpha!"

"Radcliffe will determine what needs to be done," Henry scowled, crossing his arms over his chest.

"This girl has been murdered, and violently-"

"We don't know that-'

"Are you kidding me?" I rose to my feet, clenching my hands into fists in an attempt to stop myself from reaching out and throttling the man. "She was ripped to pieces not even a quarter mile from where the rest of US were sleeping!"

I glanced back down at the remains of the wolf, shaking my head as I closed my eyes. It was the most awful thing I'd ever seen. Henry was hiding something. His face betrayed his calm, somewhat uninterested tone. He looked just as terrified and uneasy as I was sure I did.

"I'll be alerting Morhan College to what happened, first thing in the morning. Lena and I-"

to do with that girl, anyway?"

do you mean by

know she's sharing a bed with the

an adult, for one. Two, don’t

don't know,

I blinked at him, taking a

from

reddened and raw from her tears, and I noticed

bobbing his

not even looking down at it as he began to bark orders at Henry and Bethany. I watched in horror as Maxwell commanded Bethany to physically move the body to the center of the tarp with her bare hands. Bethany's lower lip was trembling, her face contorting as she tried

shoulder and

loudly, glaring at

She looked terrified, which made me want to scream with frustration at the fact she

out of here, for Goddess's sake. What is the matter with you

me, looking me up and down

all, Bethany," he said slowly, dismissing her with his hand. Bethany bobbed her head, once, then walked out of the warehouse. Henry watched her go, his eyes glossed over

in our direction as he stalked out of

on Maxwell, not bothering to hide my contempt. He seemed unphased by the fact that

"What’s going on here?"

the tarp. *No need for alarm.

time? How often has someone been tom to shreds on your

it's a rule that my workers cannot shift on the grounds. If they go into the village, that's one thing, but here?" He tucked his hands behind his back, walking a wide circle around

happened within the walls,' I argued, but he waved his

notified. If it suits him, he'll send warriors

it suits him?" I

shook his head. 'Ah, the Alpha only cares about the lives of young women if they're entertaining him in bed, but even that is short-lived. He has a short fuse,

said,

all he

be useless in this situation. I’ll have you cover the body. Keep everyone out of the warehouse for the day,

this?* I asked in a

tough, but I've known him since my childhood. He’s reclusive now, but he

closely as he continued to look down at the wolf

asked, hoping

on the property. The hills... they call to you in your wolf form. No one comes back from the hills, and if they do-' he motioned towards the tarp, an odd smile touching the comer of

throat, watching him as he walked away. He disappeared through the door leading into

***

blonde hair sticking out in all directions of the messy bun she had piled on top of her head. I knew she hadn't slept. Neither had 1.1 doubt we would have

the cottage as she held the door open for me. She wordlessly grabbed the kettle off of the woodstove and poured US both mugs of strong, black tea. I watched her as

accepted the mug of tea from her, what would've

her hadn't quelled the searing desire I felt toward her.

in the chair by the door, gripping her tea between her hands as she looked up at me, waiting for me to tell her every

useful, not wanting to scare her to death by describing the violent injuries afflicted to

tell her it had been a shifter who worked at

don’t understand how that's possible. We were just-just at the firepit. We hadn’t been here longer than

in the cottage. I didn't mention that the fur had been still warm when I touched