Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 78 : As Soon As Possible

*Eliza*

The elder women led me away from the village into the woods a little way. I glanced back, but Jared was already out of my eyesight.

They brought me to a sacred temple. There were statues of the Moon Goddess in the doorway.

Mesmerized by the temple and the carvings, I totally forgot about Jared being far away.

“What is this place?" I gasped, placing my hand on one of the carvings.

“A holy, sacred place of the Moon Goddess," one of the elders said.

I sighed and shook my head. Well, that was obvious. I was kind of hoping for a little more than that.

Inside the temple, at the center, was a large opening in the floor. Water bubbled up from a natural spring underneath.

“You can bathe here. We have fresh clothes when you're ready."

I nodded but walked around the pool to the shrine at the head of the temple. There was a statue in the shrine that looked like it was meant to be the Moon Goddess. She had features that seemed familiar but that weren't usually associated with the Moon Goddess.

Where had I seen this woman before? It felt like a distant memory or a dream, something I should remember but couldn't quite grasp…

There was a stone placard in front of the statue. It read, “Luna of Blackfire."

“Miss Eliza," an elder called to me.

“I'm coming."

I stripped down and got into the pool. The women came in with me. They washed me and tamed my hair. Once I was dried off, they handed me a gorgeous dress, nicer than anything I'd seen or worn in a long time.

It was satin, dark emerald, and perfect for this kind of tropical night warmth.

“These tattoos," one of the elders said, running her fingers up my arm with the curse marks. Her eyes were distant and glazed over as she studied them.

“What about them?" I asked, creasing my brow.

The elder frowned and ran her thumb over my arm. “Is this a place in the Light Realm, a map?"

“A map?" I gasped.

The elder nodded. “It is familiar to me, like the lines of a map, something from the Light Realm."

All I could do was shrug.

my arm toward the

tilted my head as far as I could, without getting my hair pulled out, and saw the lines from a different

looked like a map of an area in the

be the key

to get back to Jared and tell him about

the connection before. Maybe it was because I'd been looking at it upside down all this time. If I'd seen the marks in a mirror, then I probably would have made the connection. But being out in the wilderness, I didn't have a lot of

back to Jared," I

wait for them to change into dresses that matched mine in elegance and

the village. There was a bonfire crackling away and the

My stomach growled.

just been eating quick snacks here and there while we worked

into the lamb shish kabob. The meat was so tender and juicy, I

met up with

kabob at him. He grinned and took a big

this is the best

stray

played slow, soft music at

most were embellished or exaggerated, did have some roots in actual

witches and how Saboreef had been a place witches were hunted and somehow one of

an

Jared and saw his

stopped talking, the musicians began playing a louder,

smiled and tightened his arm around my shoulders. There was a new look of fierce

“What's going on?"

answer with words. Jared pulled me against him and kissed me hard on the

you?" I

enjoying this festival." He

got the sense there was more to his enjoyment and determination, but we were here to have a good time. I wasn't going to

the music while the villagers danced around the fire. Eventually, the rest of the Saboreef

me,"

pulled him out into the twirling figures

We spun around each other and got caught up in the

skipped and hopped, feeling like I was floating over the grass

no real pattern to the dance. I felt like I could just run and spin

like I could just run and spin

Now and then, I looked at him and saw that

thought my

something to drink," I said, fanning myself with my

pulled me out of the dancing bodies and we headed to a table with drinks on it. He grabbed a