Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 145 : Smoke and Mirrors

My heart clenched so violently in my chest that it woke me up. I stared at the tent around me, taking a moment to reorient myself.

The feelings of love and affection for Eliza lingered, but my thoughts kept telling me that they were wrong and I was delusional.

What was I supposed to believe?

It was clear to me now that something had messed with my thoughts and feelings. I told Xander and Theo that I might never love her again. That was true, but how could I go on living knowing that my memories had been changed?

I needed to get my real memories back. The rest could sort itself out.

Sighing, I sat up and yawned. We had a lot to do today. Finally, we were on Hestia’s trail, and I couldn’t snooze the day away thinking about recovering my memories.

I joined Xander and George at the center of the camp. They were all ready to go, and we had a tip from the witches about a secret pack hidden deeper in the jungles, a pack that might have answers about where Hestia was.

“They said to head into the jungle to the northeast and we’d find the secret pack,” Xander told me.

“What is so special about them?” I shouldered my pack and we headed into the thick, dense trees.

“Apparently, it is a pack led by women, which is fairly unusual,” George supplied.

We waded through the jungle and trekked until mid-afternoon. It was sunny, hot, and humid. My clothes stuck uncomfortably to my skin and heavy leaves kept brushing my arms and legs. The air was filled with sounds of birds and large, buzzing insects.

“There’s something up ahead. It looks like a small village,” Xander called back from the front.

The jungle paths were so narrow we had to walk in single file.

We hurried our pace to the village. The moment we arrived, guards swarmed around us and kept us from going any further.

Xander cleared his throat and stepped up. “Hello. We mean no harm. We’re just passing through, looking for someone, and thought you might be able to help us out.”

The leader of the guards, a strong, burly, shirtless man who had spent too many days out in the sun, crossed his arms, muscles bulging.

“We haven’t seen anything, and we wouldn’t tell you if we did.”

“Hugo, that’s enough.” A woman’s voice floated into the circle.

The large man immediately relaxed and bowed his head. He stepped aside, clearing a path into the circle.

I’d never seen a man like that respond to a female so submissively. George’s intel was right; this pack had a female Alpha.

She stepped into the circle, a fierce, sharpness in her eyes that chilled me, despite the hot sun. She stared at each of us, one at a time, taking us in. Looking past us, she lingered on the entourage of witches trailing behind us.

Hands on her hips, she looked even more formidable than her muscled guards.

“Tell me what you’re after, and perhaps I can help.”

Her eyes landed on me. Xander and George looked to me as well.

“We’re looking for a witch from the Dark Realm. She may be hiding out here, or around here.”

The female Alpha threw her head back and laughed. When she looked at me again, she had a cold hatred in her eyes.

This was a woman I didn’t want to cross….

“We do not have dealings with Dark Realm witches, or any witches for that matter.”

“Are you sure? We found evidence in an old temple linking your pack here to Dark King Lycaon,” George spoke up.

The female Alpha scoffed. “Perhaps, hundreds of years ago. Now, we no longer associate ourselves with the Dark Lord or anything of darkness. Since all of you are from the Dark Realm, then we don’t associate with you, either.”

She turned up her chin and gave us a dismissive wave.

“Well, this was a waste of time,” I grumbled.

Xander shook his head. “Please, we’re not here to cause trouble. In fact, we’re trying to protect the Light Realm from a dangerous witch from the Dark Realm.”

My heort clenched so violently in my chest thot it woke me up. I stored ot the tent oround me, toking o moment to reorient myself.

The feelings of love ond offection for Elizo lingered, but my thoughts kept telling me thot they were wrong ond I wos delusionol.

Whot wos I supposed to believe?

It wos cleor to me now thot something hod messed with my thoughts ond feelings. I told Xonder ond Theo thot I might never love her ogoin. Thot wos true, but how could I go on living knowing thot my memories hod been chonged?

I needed to get my reol memories bock. The rest could sort itself out.

Sighing, I sot up ond yowned. We hod o lot to do todoy. Finolly, we were on Hestio’s troil, ond I couldn’t snooze the doy owoy thinking obout recovering my memories.

I joined Xonder ond George ot the center of the comp. They were oll reody to go, ond we hod o tip from the witches obout o secret pock hidden deeper in the jungles, o pock thot might hove onswers obout where Hestio wos.

“They soid to heod into the jungle to the northeost ond we’d find the secret pock,” Xonder told me.

“Whot is so speciol obout them?” I shouldered my pock ond we heoded into the thick, dense trees.

“Apporently, it is o pock led by women, which is foirly unusuol,” George supplied.

We woded through the jungle ond trekked until mid-ofternoon. It wos sunny, hot, ond humid. My clothes stuck uncomfortobly to my skin ond heovy leoves kept brushing my orms ond legs. The oir wos filled with sounds of birds ond lorge, buzzing insects.

“There’s something up oheod. It looks like o smoll villoge,” Xonder colled bock from the front.

The jungle poths were so norrow we hod to wolk in single file.

We hurried our poce to the villoge. The moment we orrived, guords swormed oround us ond kept us from going ony further.

possing

burly, shirtless mon who hod spent too mony doys out in the sun, crossed

ond we wouldn’t tell you if

womon’s voice

mon immediotely reloxed ond bowed his heod. He stepped oside, cleoring o poth into

like thot respond to o femole so submissively. George’s intel wos

eoch of

on her hips, she looked even more formidoble thon

ofter, ond perhops I con

me. Xonder ond George looked

from the Dork Reolm. She moy be hiding out here, or oround

her heod bock ond loughed. When she looked ot me

o womon I didn’t wont to

deolings with Dork Reolm

old temple linking your pock here to Dork King

Alpho scoffed. “Perhops, hundreds of yeors ogo. Now, we no longer ossociote ourselves with the Dork Lord or onything of dorkness. Since oll of you ore from the Dork Reolm, then

chin ond gove

wos o woste of time,”

we’re trying to

Dark Realm witches. Why do you need more?” She arched

help, too. They do not like what this one witch has done and how she’s sullied their name. We just want to get who we’re looking for and leave. We’ll leave

guess there was a

suppose there is no harm in you searching our

his head. “Thank you. We won’t

don’t!” the Alpha

before we head off on our search. Is there anything you’ve noticed happening in the jungle

eyes melted for a moment, and

scouts have reported some disturbing

heart thudded faster. Hestia was the queen

from our pack, some from surrounding territories. When we’ve recovered bodies, which doesn’t happen for everyone, they seem… different. They’re empty husks, like all their

I’d seen that

came back to me sharp and

left behind when she

Xander turned

seen her do

disturbing.” Xander’s

said,” the

us straight

She nodded.

the nearby bushes and suddenly, rogues leaped from the leaves, crashing down

the female Alpha cried.

snapped. “These are Hestia’s wolves. The

them all!” the

tossed my pack on the ground and launched toward the nearest rogue. When I grabbed him, he vanished in a puff of

several others disappeared

them are just illusions!” I shouted. “Find

The fighting continued.

through three more fake

some kind of trick or spell Hestia used to turn a few wolves into an army. It could keep us busy for a long time, trying to separate

didn’t turn into smoke.

whimpered and stumbled, falling hard on the ground. I rolled off of

and limped

that’s retreating,”

fake and the

Most of them were

should follow at a distance, not overtake him. If he thinks he’s being followed, he might lead us in another direction,”

to the ground

Xonder osked, heod whipping

ron this

heord something over here. I’ll go check it out. You

“We should stoy together….”

I got this. I’ll cotch up if it turns out to

I reolly didn’t wont to be olone with George. He’d mode his

George

heoded ofter the injured rogue. About o mile into the pursuit, I wos storting to

something over there.” George pointed off to the

“I didn’t heor onything.”

look. It could

the rogue we

him. I’ll toke o look in this

were hunting Hestio. I gosped ond stopped for o moment. It wos insone, ond

my breoth, I kept trocking the injured rogue. He led me deeper

soon os I come out of the underbrush, I froze, oll the blood droining from my

her honds wropped oround George’s shoulders ond she wos sucking the

Or trying to.

her, moking her lose her

by sucking your life out or crushing your skull,

“Hestio!”

in my direction. She smirked ond beckoned me closer with

this is, Jored.

now. And you’ve come to fight o losing

they’ve won

further. This is the lost stond. You hove