Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 712

Chapter 57 : Whose Beta?

Payne's expression flickered several times until he finally composed himself and bowed his head to me.
Payne's expression flickered several times until he finally composed himself and bowed his head to me.

Then, he gave me a kind of salute I wasn't familiar with.

Shaking my head, I motioned to Soren.

“We need to treat his wounds. Those nettles were poisonous," I reminded him.

“Really, there's no need to worry," Soren argued, shaking his head. “It is just a minor wound. Nettles are noxious but they aren't deadly."

“We don't know what kind of nettles those were or how serious the poison is," I said. I pocketed the stone and crossed my arms firmly.

Soren wasn't going to get out of this that easily.

My eyes trailed to the wound on his leg. His pants were soaked through with blood and I could tell that it was still bleeding heavily.

“We made a camp near the cave where we found you," Payne said.

He supported Soren as we went through the woods back down the mountain.

They had two tents set up and a small fire pit between them. It was a very rough campsite but I figured they hadn't planned to stay there long. Just a place to sleep.

I followed Payne into one of the tents. He got Soren onto the cot and I was surprised when Soren didn't argue or struggle as Payne put a blanket over him.

“Where is Doctor Lee? How fast could he get here?" I asked.

Payne shook his head. “Dr. Lee has been away on a personal matter. He won't be around for some time and we can't get in touch with him."

Soren muttered something and groaned. His eyes were closed and he looked pale. His skin glistened in the lamp light.

I moved around Payne and put my hand on Soren's forehead. “He has a fever," I said.

“Soren, how do you feel?" Payne asked.

“Tired," Soren muttered.

I sat on the edge of his cot and grabbed a nearby cloth, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

“Soren, you should rest," I urged.

“Maybe… that's a good idea…" he gasped. He looked at me one last time and then closed his eyes.

I listened as his breathing evened out and he drifted off to sleep. Sighing, I closed my eyes and bowed my head.

Was this the danger Helen had warned me about? I didn't think so. But it was bad.

While Soren slept, I pulled his pant leg up and looked at the wound. Payne got me some bandages and wipes and I started cleaning the wound. It kept sprouting fresh blood and it wasn't clotting.


The poison was probably doing that.

Leaves outside the tent rustled and I turned my head to the tent door.

Payne held a hand up to keep me quiet. He narrowed his eyes as he listened.

“What is it?" I whispered.

“Nothing dangerous," he asserted, nodding.

Ashley poked her head into the tent. “Guys, you'll never guess what I found," she said, grinning.

“What is it?" Payne asked, sighing and relaxing.

Ashley stepped aside and a young man entered the tent. He had to have been in his early twenties and was rather handsome with his sandy blond hair and blue eyes. He was a little on the pale side but he was tall and fit. Not overly muscled and I could tell he hadn't grown into himself yet.

He smiled warmly, the kind of easy smile that made us relax.

But I could sense that Payne was still on edge. He frowned when the boy appeared and shot a glare at Ashley. I could practically hear the question in his mind, wondering why his sister thought it was a good idea to bring a stranger into their camp.

“This is Eros," Ashley said, still beaming a big smile. “He got lost in the woods…"

Payne's frown deepened. He moved to push the young man out of the tent but Ashley stopped him.

“Look, Payne, he was in the woods collecting herbs. Medicinal herbs. He's a healer and I bet he can help," Ashley said quickly.

“Actually, I'm a healer in training. I'm still learning, but I could probably help, based on what Ashley told me," Eros said in a smooth, charming voice.

Payne sighed and nodded, his frown relaxing.

My heart relaxed and I looked at Soren, hopeful that this Eros guy could actually help. As it was, we didn't know what kind of nettle had stung him or the poison in his veins.

“You may come in," Payne said, stepping aside.

Eros nodded and came up to the cot with Soren. I eyed him carefully, trying to figure out what a healer in training was doing in the woods at night, collecting medicinal herbs. Payne definitely had a good reason to be wary.

I didn't want to cause a fuss. Not when he might be able to help.

“Hmm." Eros looked over the wound and poked at Soren's leg.

“He was stung by some kind of nettle plant," I said.

Eros nodded. “I'm familiar with the poisonous plants that grow on Mount Lournet. This wound seems pretty fresh."

“He got it less than an hour ago," I confirmed.

“Good. The sooner he gets treatment, the better. If you wait too long, it is a lot harder to get the poison out. I should be able to treat it," Eros explained.

“Thank you," I muttered.

“I need help gathering herbs. Could you two come with me and help gather herbs?" Eros asked, pointing to Payne and Ashley.

“Ashley can go with you. She is capable and her help should be sufficient," Payne insisted.

“Very well," Eros agreed. He motioned to Ashley and the two of them left the tent.

When I couldn't hear their voices or footsteps anymore, I turned to Payne. “You don't trust him?"

Payne glanced at me and shrugged. “Better safe than sorry."

“You think Ashley will be okay on her own? Aren't you worried Eros might hurt her or something?" I asked.

Payne arched an eyebrow and chuckled. He shook his head.

“Ashley will be fine. She grew up in the rogue zone, remember? She might act like a child sometimes, but she is perfectly capable of protecting herself," he assured.

“Well, I guess that's true," I said, nodding.

“I'm surprised you're worried. But if anything goes wrong, Ashley and I still have a mindlink. She'll keep me informed," he said, tapping the side of his head.

“Still…"

“Besides, if Eros has other motivations, I doubt Ashley is his target," he said quickly.

He eyed me again and I knew exactly what he meant. There were plenty of bounty hunters after me and there were packs coming after Soren too, because of the rumors he'd spread.

If Eros was really after me, Soren, or the artifact, he wouldn't hurt Ashley until he got what he wanted.

Nodding, I turned back to Soren. He was still sleeping but he winced now and then. His skin was flushed with his fever.

“You should rest, Mila. I can keep watch over Soren and the campsite," Payne suggested.

“No," I said, shaking my head. “I won't be able to sleep until I know Soren is okay. I'll be okay, I don't need a lot of sleep."

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