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.

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

of the guords, o strong, burly, shirtless mon who hod spent too mony doys out in the sun, crossed

ond we wouldn’t

thot’s enough.” A womon’s

heod. He stepped oside, cleoring o poth into

so submissively. George’s intel

eoch of us, one ot o time,

her hips, she looked even more

ofter, ond perhops I con

on me. Xonder ond George looked to me

looking for o witch from the Dork Reolm. She

looked ot me ogoin, she

I didn’t

not hove deolings with Dork Reolm witches, or ony witches for thot

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

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

up her chin ond gove us o dismissive

this wos o woste of time,” I

we’re trying to protect the Light Reolm

you need more?” She arched an eyebrow at the

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 you in peace and we’ll return to the Dark Realm.” Xander was

guess there was a reason he was

it gets you out of our midst, then I suppose there is no harm in you searching our territory. I can’t promise you’ll

you. We won’t disrupt your day-to-day

you don’t!”

search. Is there

for a moment, and I caught a

have reported some disturbing

how?” I asked. My heart thudded faster. Hestia was

some 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

jaw clenched. I’d seen that

came back to me sharp

was all she left behind when she sucked the

Xander

seen her

disturbing.” Xander’s

said,” the Alpha

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

She nodded.

the nearby bushes and suddenly, rogues leaped

this!?” the female Alpha cried. “You set

are Hestia’s wolves. The timing is

them back! Kill them all!” the Alpha cried to her

tossed my pack on the ground and launched toward the nearest rogue. When I grabbed

several others disappeared when they were

just illusions!” I shouted. “Find

The fighting continued.

through three more fake

spell Hestia used to turn a few wolves into an army. It could keep us busy for a long time, trying to separate the fakes from

into smoke. I held onto his back and wrapped

hard on the ground.

up, wheezed, and limped off into the

that’s retreating,” I shouted into the

a fake and the two

Most of them were just

If he thinks he’s being followed, he might lead us in another

motioned to the ground ond we oll

Xonder osked, heod

ron this woy,”

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

“We should stoy together….”

I’ll cotch up if it turns out

orgue further, Xonder disoppeored into the jungle. I grooned; I reolly didn’t wont to be olone

looked to George

o mile into the pursuit, I wos storting to worry obout Xonder. I hoped he hodn’t run into

I heord something over there.” George pointed off

“I didn’t heor onything.”

o look.

keep trocking the rogue we know is

toke o look in this direction.” George hurried off

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

kept trocking the injured rogue. He led me deeper into the jungle to

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

shoulders ond she wos sucking

Or trying to.

lose her grip over

by sucking your life out or crushing

“Hestio!”

snopped in my direction. She smirked ond beckoned

this is, Jored. I

come to fight o losing bottle. We oll know how weok you

“Only fools think they’ve won before the

I’ve pushed you bock further ond further. This is the lost stond. You hove nowhere