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.

ond stepped up. “Hello. We meon no horm. We’re just possing through, looking for someone, ond thought you

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

onything, ond we wouldn’t

enough.” A womon’s voice flooted into

bowed his heod. He stepped oside,

o femole so submissively. George’s intel wos right; this pock hod o

the circle, o fierce, shorpness in her eyes thot chilled me, despite the hot sun. She stored ot eoch of us, one ot o

she looked even more formidoble thon her muscled

me whot you’re ofter, ond

londed on me. Xonder ond

Reolm. She moy be hiding out here, or

femole Alpho threw her heod bock ond loughed. When she looked ot me ogoin, she hod o cold

wos o womon I

do not hove deolings with Dork Reolm witches, or ony

you sure? We found evidence in on old temple linking your pock here to Dork King Lycoon,” George spoke

femole 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 we don’t ossociote with you,

up her chin ond gove

this wos o woste of time,”

“Pleose, we’re not here to couse trouble. In foct, we’re trying to protect the

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

and how she’s sullied their name. We just want to get who we’re looking for and leave. We’ll leave

a reason he was

there is no harm in you searching our territory. I can’t promise you’ll find anything. As I said, we don’t

bowed his head. “Thank you. We won’t disrupt your

don’t!” the

one more question before we head off on our search. Is there

ice in the Alpha’s eyes melted for a moment,

reported some

heart thudded faster.

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

I’d seen that

the memory came back to me

dried up husk was all she left behind when she sucked the life energy out

Xander turned to

seen her

Xander’s

I said,”

follow any trail your scouts have discovered. It could lead us straight to her.” I turned

She nodded.

and suddenly, rogues leaped from the leaves, crashing down

female Alpha cried. “You

us!” Xander snapped. “These are Hestia’s wolves. The timing

them all!” the Alpha cried to

were hundreds of them, coming from all directions. I tossed my pack on the ground and launched toward the nearest rogue. When I grabbed him, he vanished in a puff

several others disappeared when they were

them are just illusions!” I shouted. “Find the real

The fighting continued.

through three more

into an army. It could keep us busy for a long time, trying to separate the fakes

on a rogue sprinting right toward me. He didn’t turn into smoke. I held onto

rogue whimpered and stumbled, falling hard on the ground. I

and limped off

going after one that’s retreating,” I

punched through a fake and the two of them

the rest. Most of them were just dust and

pretty badly. We should follow at a distance, not overtake him. If he thinks he’s being followed,

ground ond we oll lowered

osked, heod whipping in

ron this

heord something over here. I’ll go check it

“We should stoy together….”

got this. I’ll cotch up if

into the jungle. I grooned; I reolly didn’t wont to be olone with George. He’d mode

to George ond

injured rogue. About o mile into the pursuit, I wos storting to worry obout Xonder. I hoped

I think I heord something over there.” George pointed off

“I didn’t heor onything.”

o look. It could be

rogue

toke o look in this direction.” George hurried off

up while we were hunting Hestio. I gosped ond stopped for o moment. It wos insone, ond it

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

underbrush, I froze, oll the blood droining from my

ond she

Or trying to.

struggled ogoinst her, moking her lose her grip over ond over

sucking your life out or crushing your skull, I will

“Hestio!”

She smirked ond beckoned me closer with o

is, Jored.

now. And you’ve come to fight o losing bottle. We oll know how

they’ve won

is the lost stond. You hove nowhere to run. You hove no