Sold As The Alpha King’s Breeder Chapter 273


    Chapter 53: Following Destiny


    Troy


    Duck was bounding up the beach ahead of us, his tongue hanging out of the side of his mouth and


    pping his snout as he ran. Robbie was sulking behind me, his feet shuffling in the sand.


    “Come on, man. We have to go back for the girls, you know,” I said, looking at him over my shoulder.


    He huffed audibly, like an animal, but refused to keep in step with me. Robbie hadn’t wanted to leave


    Dianny. He had met someone, but refused to talk about it to anyone, which was probably because M


    would tease him relentlessly if she found out.


    Oh, Keaton was going to have my head over the M situation.


    I could already see him storming down the beach towards us, his face twisted in anger.


    “Where is she?!” he bellowed from several yards away, his voice booming over the sound of the waves


    lapping against the sand. I waved at him.


    “Nice to see you too!”


    “Shut up, Troy. You useless,” His words were drowned out by the sound of the waves crashing over a


    large rock as we passed by. High tide. I turned my head to look over at the Persephone. Its masts were


    mended, and people were climbing the rat lines to help hoist the sails back into ce.


    “She’s fine. She felt she needed to stay back with Maeve and Pete,” I said, stopping short of Keaton,


    who was fuming with frustration.


    “Fine? You’ve been gone for three days, and all you have to say to me is that she’s fine?” He crossed


    his arms over his chest, cheeks reddening. “And… at least a dozenplete strangers show up at our


    camp saying they’re going to fix our ship with nothing but primitive tools,”


    “Looks fixed t’ me,” Robbie said with a chuckle, tilting his head towards the Persephone. Keaton


    reddened further, his eyes zing over with righteous fury.


    “What exactly are you doing back here? Hmm? Without the women? You brought this useless dog but


    not- Keaton pointed down at Duck, who interrupted him by licking his hand and leaving a trail of slime


    along the cuff of Keaton’s coat. “Ugh!”


    “There’s a lot to exin,” I said, running my fingers through my hair. How the hell was I supposed to


    exin everything that had happened?


    “Obviously! And what’s wrong with you, Rob?” Keaton stepped forward, giving Robbie a quizzical eye.


    It was unlike Robbie to sulk.


    “Robbie has a girlfriend”


    “I found my mate.”


    I nearly snapped my neck turning to face him. Keaton and I stared at Robbie, jaws ck inmunal


    shock.


    “I’m


    gonna stay behind.” Robbie tucked his hands into his pockets, rocking on his heels.


    I looked at Keaton, who looked at me, and we broke into peels ofughter.


    But Robbie wasn’tughing.


    *Wait, you’re serious?” Keaton wiped a tear from his eye, his face falling as Robbie’s cheeks pinkened


    with mingled embarrassment and dismay


    “Robbie?” | coaxed, my stomach tightening to a knot. Robbie had been markedly absent during most of


    our stay in Dianny, but M had made it seem like he was merely enjoying himself, not that he had a


    mate somewhere in the city.


    “Aye, it’s true. Her name is Alison. And she won’t leave Dianny. I’m gonna stay back while you guys,


    well, chase the stones.*


    “Chase the what? Wait a minute–” Keaton began.


    “Keaton, look-” | interrupted, holding my hands up in surrender, “We’re going through the southern


    passage. All the way through. There’s an ind


    “Oh, no, no, no, Hold on just a minute – Keaton took a step forward. “You’re staying behind? And you–”


    He turned to me, pointing his finger usingly. “Are not the captain of the Persephone. Who said you


    get to dictate


    “I’m the second captain,” I said, pausing to clear my throat. Now or never. “And if we don’t go through


    the pass, Maeve’s mother is going to


    die.”


    “…So? What does that have to do with the Persephone and my crew?”


    “If we don’t go through the pass and find Lycaon’s Tomb,” i continued, reaching out and grabbing his


    hand, folding his pointed finger back into ce, All hell is going to break loose.”


    Keaton pulled his fist back and swung at me. I reared back, dodging his blow, and then bent my head


    to rush him.


    But suddenly Robbie was between us, holding us at arm’s length by the cors of our shirts. He


    mmed us together, my nose cracking against Keaton’s forehead. “I’m staying,” he said calmly as


    Keaton and I staggered backwards. “I’ve been breaking up your fights since we wereds. I’ve done


    my time. Better start getting along now.”


    I rubbed my nose, ring at Keaton, who was holding his head in his hands and hissing in pain. I


    straightened up, happy to be the first to regain myposure as Keaton continued to try to get a grip


    on his own.


    “I was hoping you were abandoning this treasure hunt, Troy!” Keaton said, spitting into the sand as he


    straightened up.


    “Not a bit. It’s even more imperative that we find the tomb now, before someone else does.”


    “And what if we don’t? You’ve heard the stories about the Pass. Treading water in the southern channel


    is one thing, Troy. Going through is a death sentence. No one everes back.”


    “We will,” I said quickly, “We don’t have a choice.”


    “And you’re really leaving us, Rob? You’re sure?” Keaton turned to Robbie, squinting into the sun to


    look up at him. Robbie only nodded.


    Keaton sighed deeply, looking at us for a long time. Then he straightened up, nting his hands on his


    hips. “The only reason I’m letting any of this continue is because of M.”


    “Not because we are likely to be cklisted from doing any type of business in the packnds for the


    foreseeable future?” I said with a smirk.


    *And whose fault is that?” Keaton said, his eyes dancing with menace.


    “Mutual fault,” Robbie replied before I could even open my mouth, “We should have never gotten into


    business with Damian in the first ce.


    Robbie was right, of course. But I stole a nce at Keaton, who tilted his head, considering.


    None of us would’ve met our mates had it not been for Damian. We had to give the man that.


    Maeve


    “What happens now?” Pete tossed a bag into the boat, looking over his shoulder at the group of


    onlookers standing along the edge of the


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    *What you’ll miss all the attention?” M waved her hand in dismissal, stepping into the boat and


    sitting down on one of the benches. She ran her hands along the wooden hull, admiring the


    craftsmanship. Pete scowled, picking up thest bag of supplies.


    “We’re famous here,” I said sarcastically, reaching up to tie my hair into a bun on the top of my head. It


    had been a full day since Troy and Robbie left to go back to camp. Robbie had returned in the morning,


    rying a message from Keaton and Troy that Troy would be waiting for us at the beach instead of


    coming to fetch us from Dianny.


    Robbie had also told us he would be staying behind, and I could see why. He was standing along the


    shore of theke, his arm around a tiny blonde woman with dainty features. She was the physical


    opposite of Robbie, but somehow, the two of them fit like a glove standing side by side. I felt a pang of


    regret at the sight. Robbie, Keaton, and Troy had been all they had growing up. They were a family. A


    pack.


    “In you go, Princess,” said one of Una’s warriors as he extended his hand to help me into the odd


    wooden boat. It was incredibly long and sturdy, carved out of a single tree that must have been


    massive and ancient, given the size of the boat. The three of us, plus two of Una’s men, fitfortably


    inside.


    “How long of a trip is it to the camp?” M asked as the first warrior climbed into the boat, sitting


    towards the back with his pair of oars draped over hisp.


    “An hour to cross theke, another two or three to float down the river to the shore,” he answered.


    “And then we row along the coast? That seems dangerous!” M said, her shoulders tightening with


    nerves.


    * That’s what you’re worried about, after everything that happened here?” Pete quipped, sitting down


    on the bench beside M. I let out my breath, looking out over the crowd of onlookers.


    I spotted Una in the crowd, Tasia by her side. They caught my eye, nodding soberly as I gave them a


    soft, knowing smile.


    How had been caught up in this web of myth and lore? What were once fanciful children’s tales were


    coming to life, overwhelming me. Una had called it my destiny, but I wasn’t so sure. Was finding the


    missing moonstones truly my life’s path?


    Una herself had said she had reservations about the moonstones being brought together, none of us


    knowing what would happen when they did eventuallybine.


    And as I sat in the strange boat looking at Una and Tasia, mother and daughter, I wondered if I had


    made the right choice by choosing to find the stones over warning my parents of uing danger. But


    what had my choices truly been? To try to go back home, risking capture by Damian? No, that wasn’t


    an option. I couldn’t return to Winter Forest without the moonstones. They were the only way to save


    my mother’s life and prevent the prophecy from taking hold and dismantling the packnds.


    The boat began to move away from the shore, the two warriors pulling us forward with their oars. We


    glided soundlessly across the still, turquoise water until Dianny was just a speck in the background,


    and the jungle enveloped us once again.


    M and Pete were talking in hushed voices as we bobbed gently in the clear, depthless water. The


    warriors were silent, focused on the task. I felt alone with only my thoughts.


    But I wasn’t alone, not really. My hands went instinctively to my stomach as I looked out over the water.


    I was pregnant. And Una had told me I was having not one, but two sons.


    I swallowed, closing my eyes and imagining them snuggled inside of me, tiny orbs within my womb.


    And I hadn’t had a chance to talk to Troy about it before he left for the beach camp. Did he know? Had


    Una told him the same thing she had told me?


    My life at the castle of Drogomor felt like a lifetime ago, but the day I met Troy in the market was clear


    and vivid in my mind. Would I have done things differently if I had known then what I know now?


    “No,” I whispered, the word for my ears only.


    Troy was more to me now than just a breeder. He had always been more.


    And now, he was the father of my children.


    I looked up as the water began to move more swiftly, the boat rocking as we entered the river. I looked


    back, seeing the red mountains rising in the distance, the outline of the moon still visible in the clear,


    blue sky.