Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder by Alice Knightsky
Chapter – 99 To The North
**Georgia’s POV**
Ethan had said little about what was going on in the north other than rogues were to blame.
As much as I trusted my brother, his long absence and slight secrecy made me skeptical. I knew my brother better than most. With the way he was acting, something else was at play.
Estrella had gone back to the pack, and Vicky was busy helping the displaced civilians. Talon could barely leave the war room. The only person who seemed to have all the time in the freaking world was Madalynn, who just didn’t have the ability to stop talking about wedding preparations.
This was the perfect opportunity for me to get away from the castle. However, before that, I needed to figure something out.
“Excuse me.” I called out to a young, petite scullery maid. “The man that was brought in from the north. Where is he?”
My brows furrowed as I stared over the text on the ancient red book sitting in my lap. Stroke marks and black ink decorated each delicate page. Although I couldn’t understand all of the ancient language, it didn’t change the fact that I found it fascinating.
“What’re you reading, Miss Georgia?” Blake asked curiously.
“Nothing.” Curling my hands around the book in my lap once more, I marked my place and pushed it back into my satchel. I tried to show the book to others before and failed, so I wasn’t going to bother another person. “And just Georgia, please.”
Blake had overheard a conversation I was having with the witness from the north and had taken it upon himself to offer to be my guide. Even though I tried to explain I wasn’t going north to throw off suspicion, he seemed to see through my facade.
“Why didn’t you stay with Lily back in the castle?”
With a smile, he shrugged. “She is safe in the capital. However, I have to find our parents, and that is something Lily agrees about as well.”
“This journey is risky,” I sighed. “You do realize that you are taking a huge leap of faith when the chance of finding them is very slight?”
“Yes, Miss Georgia. But if you are not afraid, I’m not either.”
I gave up on trying to get Blake to omit the prefix. He insisted on showing respect to the royal families and the warriors, so there wasn’t much I could do to change that.
A sigh escaped me as I shook my head, “It’s not the same….”
I had been trained as a warrior since I was young like everyone else in our pack. I went off to the best boarding school when Ethan took over the pack and it didn’t take me long before I pushed my way to the head of the cla*s*s.
Blake, however, was just an ordinary villager… and not from the Drogomor pack.
“Don’t worry about me, Miss Georgia. I know all the secret pathways in and out of the forest and village. I already escaped once from the rogues. I will be able to do it again if needed.”
Realizing that there was no arguing with him, I nodded my head in understanding. It would be nice to have someone accompany me.
Rather than hiding behind the capitol walls, I believed I would be more useful in the north. I could find more survivors and help them get to shelters with Blake’s help.
Had you told me earlier in the week I would be hiding in the transportation trucks with Blake on our way to the north to help with survivors… I probably would have said you’re crazy.
Yet, with my brother’s protocols, this was the only way out.
So now I was hiding behind barrels of grain and medical supplies, with Blake praying that no one saw us before we got there.
However, unbeknownst to Blake, I was also looking for someone. Someone who could be behind the rogues. I needed to find him and stop him.
The truck jolted to the side, its tires sliding across the icy terrain. “What was that?” I asked. We were both on high alert.
“I’m not sure. I think we may have blown a tire,” Blake whispered.
We listened as the driver climbed out of the truck. His voice carried through the wind as he cursed the situation that had befallen him. But as quick as his words had come, they suddenly stilled.
An eerie quietness surrounded us, and with it came a sickness in my lower stomach that tried to tell me something wasn’t right.
“Something is wrong,” Blake replied as we both listened for any signs of movement. “Stay in here, and I will go check it out.”
Grabbing his arm, I lowered my voice. “Be careful. I don’t think this was a coincidence. We are close to the occupied rogue territory, and with the supplies on this truck, it could have been an ambush.”
Nodding his head, he climbed from the car slowly as I remained quiet and listened. A few moments later, he came back looking confused. “I didn’t see the driver, not sure where he went.”
The sky darkened outside as the sun made its descent behind the distant mountains. Mentally, I ran through the situation we were in. There was no way that we had blown a tire that easily on these roads.
As the thought escaped my mind, the approaching howls of wolves brought forth the suspicion that had been lingering.
“Sh*t,” I muttered.
My eyes searched the darkened shadows of the road and forest around. I put the satchel across my shoulders and grabbed my large blade. I wasn’t afraid of fighting, but I needed to be smart about it.
“Blake, shift now, and take me to a spot close to the entrance of the secret pathway.”
He did what I asked immediately, and before I knew it, we were dashing through the woods. The thundering footsteps of wolves closing in on us as the rustling through the trees grew louder.
The rogues must have smelled us when we took off, and with the sound of how quickly they were approaching, it wasn’t good for either of us. Once they identified their targets, they were unstoppable.
“Once we are there, you use the secret pathways to hide yourself and wait for the best time to attack while I distract them,” I whispered into his ear.
The whimper that escaped his muzzle showed his hesitation. “Do what I tell you. Whatever our goals are for this trip, we both need to survive first. Trust me. I know what I’m doing.”
Yes, I knew what I was doing, but it didn’t mean I wasn’t nervous.
I was well aware that since I couldn’t shift, I wouldn’t be able to fight fairly against the wolves. However, the good news was, they couldn’t smell me either. That gave me an advantage to hide myself.
After about half an hour, Blake came to a complete stop allowing me to dismount from his back.
“Go, now!” I urged him to get away as quickly as possible.
There was clear hesitation within his eyes as he stood staring at me for a moment, before disappearing off into the darkness.
Moving quickly, I stepped out into the cold, dark evening air. Snow crunched beneath my boots as I wandered the area, computing my plan.
“Well, well…” a voice called from the treeline causing me to turn swiftly. “Looks like a little lamb lost her way.”
One of four wolves had shifted back to his man form. Dark swirling orbs stared back at me tinged with red, signifying the trademark of the rogues.
“You are trespassing, babe,” he smirked.
I growled in frustration as my fingers tightened around the grip of my blade. “How about we play a little game?” the dark, ugly stranger replied with a grin. “Come on, it will be fun.” Too old for childish games, I settled my gaze upon the treeline as if I was searching for someone. “Are you looking for someone?” the man stated, a sinister glint in his eyes.
A surge of anger coursed through me. “Where is my driver?!”
“Considering the amount of blood upon the snow under your boot… I would say dead.”
Letting out a gasp of disbelief, my eyes glanced towards the snow to see the trail of blood that stained a path way towards its source. “You killed him?”
The breathless remark took a toll on me as I tried to come up with ways to distract him more and draw him away from the rest of the three.
“Yes, I did.” The man snickered, “So about this game?”
“F*ck your game!” I roared in fury as his eyes narrowed.
“You will watch your tongue,” he roared, not pleased with my reaction, but he seemed to be amused.
“I can’t even shift, yet, you asked me to go against four of you. I don’t see any fun in that.” I turned to glare at the rest of the wolves and smirked, “You guys really are listening to this coward?”
The rest of the wolves snarled.
“You are feisty, aren’t you?” the leader chuckled, baring his teeth. “Tell you what. I will give you a fifteen-minute head start. Then, I will enjoy ripping you apart.”
He turned to his group and ordered, “Stay here. She’s mine.”
Dumb *ss! I sneered silently and wasted no time in turning and sprinting into the treeline to put as much distance between him and me as possible.
The whipping wind brushed forcefully against my skin as I moved past broken branches and over fallen logs.
No matter the terrain, I pushed myself forward as hard as I could.
Hopefully, this would all work out.
The rogue’s howl sounded from not far away, signaling his eagerness to catch me, and let me fall prey to the blood lust that coursed through his veins.
The crumbling leaves beneath my feet did nothing to hide my location.
My body, worn out from the stamina I had demanded, caused my step to falter. The weight of gravity pulled me forcefully to the ground as my leg connected with a fallen log.
From the corner of my eye, I saw the gray pelt of a wolf charging quickly in my direction. Great, he had shifted again.
That wasn’t how I planned to have him play his game. He should’ve stayed in his human form.
Well, I guess I shouldn’t reason with rogues.
I grasped at the earth, pushing myself to my feet once more only to have the wolf’s form crash into me, sending me hurtling into a thicket nearby.
A cry of pain escaped my lips on impact.
As the briars sliced through my skin, a rip in my side caused a breathless gasp to leave my lips.
I grimaced at the idea of what it could look like, but the sensation of wetness pouring down my side did nothing to settle my imagination.
Moaning, I lifted my eyes up, only to face snarling teeth and dripping saliva. My body quickly froze as I watched the gray wolf slowly stalking forward.
This wasn’t how I planned to go out, and it wouldn’t be.
The only weapon I had possessed that might be able to save my life lay feet away, its location reflected by the moonlight glistening off the silver blade.
Knowing my life was on the line, I lurched forward and grasped at its handle as the wolf’s jaws snapped near my throat.
As I thrust the blade forward into his ribs, a howl of pain escaped the animal.
His body fell from mine as he tried to recoup from the damage I had inflicted. He was fierce, and his eagerness to rip me apart was obvious.
Forcing myself to my feet, I limped towards a grove of trees, searching for the sign of the entrance of the secret pathway.
Come on, Blake! I mentally yelled, searching the area for his wolf.
Now was the time I needed him, and as if the goddess heard me, a sign came.
A black wolf jumped from behind the rogue, mouth wide as its teeth sunk deeply into the back of its neck. The rogue struggled beneath Blake’s grasp, but Blake refused to let go.
A fierce howl penetrated the dark sky around us, echoing through the treeline. The rogue was letting his followers know that he was not going to win this battle.
I gathered all of my strength and sent my blade into his exposed chest ending the rogue’s life.
“Blake… we… need to run…” I directed, feeling my life slipping away from me.
Having used all of my strength to help Blake kill the rogue, I was at a loss. My energy was depleted, and my body was slowly closing down.
Without hesitation, Blake threw me on his back and started running.
The sounds of rogues echoed behind us as we sprinted through the thick brush, searching for our escape.
“Go.. .north,” I whispered with faint words as I slowly slipped into darkness.