Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder by Alice Knightsky
Chapter 144 The Rogue King’ Choice
**Ethan’s POV**
‘Alpha, we saw a large pack of rogues nearby,’ Richard used the mind-link to tell me what was happening.
He had returned from patrol and was still in his wolf form as he came to a stop in the middle of camp, breathing heavily. ‘They’re headed in this direction.’
Immediately, I snapped to attention. “How many?” I asked.
He shook his head. ‘At least one hundred, maybe more.’
“Almost the same size as us,” Talon said, his eyebrows furrowed.
Rogues, they seemed to be everywhere, and there were so many different packs of them. They could show up at any moment, and we’d be forced to defend ourselves.
The further north we went, the more cautious we had to be, and the more concerned I grew for Rosalie. How would she be able to navigate amongst those ruthless monsters with a baby all by herself?
The only thing that was comforting was that I could still feel the pull of my child, and I prayed to the Moon Goddess every day to keep them safe.
When we were within twenty miles of the border of the northern territory, I sent Samuel and Richard out to scout the area. I didn’t want to move without making sure that we had done a thorough check of where we were going.
Not because I was afraid, but because I had other priorities, and I didn’t want to waste time and energy.
Samuel, who returned with Richard in his wolf form, jumped in. ‘But these are no ordinary rogues. They’re savages. We saw them rip their preys’ bodies to shreds after killing them for no reason. I mean, rogues are rogues, but those are the worst I’d ever seen.’
‘Their leader is a she-wolf,’ Richard continued. ‘We got a good look at her. She looks… deranged, like some sort of a lunatic. She beat up one of her own wolves just because he killed that victim too soon. Afterwards, she tore the victim’s dead body open and dragged his organs and intestines out… they all came over to lap up his blood. It was… it was gross.’
I could only stare at them for a moment, trying to understand what we were dealing with. It sounded like a pack that wouldn’t fight fair or follow the usual rules of battle- even rogue rules.
“You said they were coming our way?”
“That’s right. I don’t know why, but it seems to me that she’s looking for something. That’s why they are working their way village by village.”
“I thought the White Queen was looking after those villages?”
“Alpha,” Richard shifted back to his human form. He was a tough warrior, but from his look, I could tell he didn’t even want to talk about what he had seen. “There were no survivors in those villages. Women, children, even animals. None.”
Vicky gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. Paul immediately wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to him.
“Alpha, there are two more villages behind us. Shall we…” Vicky murmured.
I knew what she wanted to ask. Shall we stay and fight off the rogues? Talon and Paul both looked at me, waiting for my decision.
“Talon, ask everyone to shift and get ready to fight. Be prepared for anything. Vicky, be careful.”
“Vicky will stay with me!” Paul tightened his grip on Vicky. Talon patted Paul on the shoulder. He knew Paul could protect her with his life. However, that didn’t mean he wasn’t still concerned for his younger sister, especially against these savage wolves.
“Yes, Alpha. We have over a hundred and twenty now, we should be able to hold them off!” Talon replied. Ever since Single Eye joined me, in the past few weeks, more groups came to me. Those who challenged me, I put to their eternal death, and they were no longer my concern. The rest volunteered to regard me as their leader. They called me the Rogue King.
It didn’t matter to me what they called me, especially when that made it easier for me to navigate in the northern territories,
However, soon after the order was given, I heard Single Eye protested against Talon, “What the f*ck?! Why do we need to fight with them? Just let them pass, man! Why do we need this trouble?”
“Because if you don’t fight them, you’ll need to fight me!” I growled.
Single Eye stared at me, and as I stared back, he shrinked and backed away.
“Fine!” he muttered. He was obviously not happy about my decision, but he dared not argue further.
Within minutes, we all got our belongings ready to go in case we needed to move out quickly before we stripped and shifted. Then, I got my battlelines ready, and we stepped further into the forest in the direction Samuel and Richard had said the rogues were spotted in.
Within a few minutes, red glowing orbs began to appear between the trees. They were here.
It didn’t appear to be the entire pack, though. Perhaps they were just feeling us out. Either that or they had split and were going to attack from two sides.
‘Watch your flank!’ I told everyone.
The rogues came barreling through the trees, their lips pulled back in snarls as their tongues flopped between their sharp teeth, saliva hanging from their jowls. Their fur was dirty and matted, and many of them had blood streaked across their faces or down their chests.
The wild looks in their eyes told me that Richard and Samuel had been correct—these rogues were not your typical fighting force. They were brutal and would be difficult to contain.
As they came running at us, my warriors prepared for impact, getting low and slipping into battle positions. I was in front, and a large male wolf with light gray fur was headed right for me.
“Let him come,” I thought to myself.
We collided hard, and I was able to run my right shoulder into his chest. It knocked him backward onto the ground, his head hitting hard. The wind was knocked from his lungs, and he was left dazed.
Hesitating would only get me into trouble. Quickly, I leaped on top of him, sinking my teeth into his neck. He was strong, though. As blood began to fill my mouth, he used his back legs to push me backward, trying to get me off of him.
I hung on with my teeth, and when I went backward, he came with me, both of us landing on the ground, me on the bottom now. I couldn’t stay that way, so I rolled him over, my claws ripping into his back.
He yelped, and I knew I was beginning to get to him now. Again, I went for his neck, using my back legs to hold his out of the way this time. He tried to fight me off, but the previous damage was too much for him, and I was able to slide my teeth between his shoulder and neck.
The second bite was a fatal one.
Spitting bloody fur from my mouth, I looked around to see who needed my help.
Across the way, I saw Vicky and Paul. He was doing his best against two wolves while Vicky was trying to help, but the rogues were so large and menacing, she was losing her stand.
I took off in a sprint, running as fast as I could, dodging others as I honed in on my target. Just as the large female wolf was about to clamp down on Vicky’s shoulder, I plowed into her, knocking her several feet into the air. She landed on her bottom and slid along the ground, leaves and debris flying in the air.
I went after her, pouncing on her again. This had to be the leader the scouts had spoken of. Blood coated her mouth and dripped down her front. The blood was so thick, it was all I could smell.
Landing on top of her, I sank my claws into her front legs, but she was stronger than she looked, and she was able to use her back legs to push me off. She glared at me, and there was something so familiar about her eyes.
I found myself distracted by her for a moment, trying to place her, but soon enough, I snapped back. I wanted to bring her down, hoping that it would end this rogue force.
Rather than waiting for me to attack her again or coming after me, though. She turned and ran in the other direction, heading into the woods. I chased after her for several feet, but then I realized she was luring me away, and I stopped.
I had no interest in knowing what might be out there waiting for me.
Quickly, I turned around and ran back the few feet beyond the perimeter of the battlefield I’d gone. Looking around, I saw that many of the rogues were leaving now. They’d come to inflict as much harm as possible and to see how many of us there were. It felt more like a scrimmage than a real battle.
I knew they’d be back, though.
Talon finished off a black male wolf that he’d been fighting by ripping out his throat. That was the last one. The others had either left the battlefield or were lying still on the ground.
I counted eight dead rogues—four of my men down, three wounded.
“Sh’t,” I said, noting who we’d lost. There were some good men there, my men. Not the rogues who had joined me recently.
‘Where did they go?’ Talon asked me.
I shook my head. ‘I’m not sure.’
‘Should we go after them?’ Talon asked, clearly eager to finish the fight.
‘Yes,’ I told him. ‘But they’re cunning. Ask Samuel to track them down, but do not attack. Wait for my order.’
‘Why is that?’ my Beta asked me.
Taking a deep breath I told him, ‘I don’t know. I just had a bad feeling…’
‘Alpha!’ Paul’s voice sounded concerned, and immediately drew my attention. ‘I found something… I mean someone. Could you come over?’
Talon and Vicky had been there already, and they both looked very worried.
“Alpha,” Paul swallowed, and pointed to a dead wolf, “I knew this guy. He was one of King James’s secret agents.”