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-"

with that girl, anyway?" Henry asked, staring

do you mean by

sharing a bed with the

an adult, for one. Two, don’t try to

don't know,

I blinked at him, taking

came a sharp voice from the door to

straightening my shoulders as Maxwell Radcliffe walked into the warehouse, followed by a tearful Bethany. Her face was reddened and raw from her tears, and I noticed she kept her gaze off the body of what I assumed had

bobbing his

Maxwell commanded Bethany to physically move the body to the center of the tarp with her bare

clutching her shoulder and pulling

it," I said loudly, glaring at Maxwell, then Henry. "Why is she

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

her out of here, for Goddess's sake. What is

up and down

head, once, then walked out of the warehouse. Henry

as he stalked out of

not bothering to hide my contempt. He seemed unphased

"What’s going on here?"

died, obviously,' he said, waving toward the tarp. *No need for alarm. This happens

How often has someone been tom

it's a rule that my workers cannot shift on the grounds. If they go into the village, that's one thing, but here?"

walls,' I argued, but he waved

of Crimson Creek has already been notified. If it

it suits him?"

bed, but even that is short-lived. He has a short fuse, and an even shorter attention span. I keep him off the property for the sake of our female workers. But, you wouldn't even know of him, would you? Where are you

I said, not going

all

the body. Keep everyone out of

this?* I asked in a

Henry looks and acts tough, but I've known him since my childhood. He’s reclusive now, but he didn't used to be, no. Lost his mate when he was my

considered this, watching Maxwell closely as he continued to look

mate?" I asked, hoping I didn't already

shifting on the property. The hills... they call to you in your

severe anxiety tightening my throat, watching him as he walked away. He disappeared through the door leading into the warehouse, shutting the door

***

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 been able to

stepped inside 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 she stirred sugar into the mugs, her gray eyes lined with fatigue. In

I wondered, as I accepted the mug of tea from her, what would've happened between us last night if we hadn't been interrupted by a

desire

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

useful, not wanting to scare her to death by describing

been a shifter who worked

were just-just at the firepit.

I cut in, sitting down on Lena's trunk, which we found wouldn't fit anywhere else in the cottage. I didn't mention that the fur had been still warm when