Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder by Alice Knightsky
Chapter 132 Hand Over Ethan
**Talon’s POV**
Screaming.
The alarming sound jolted me from my sleep, causing me to jump from my bed. The distant yelling set my wolf on edge as I quickly dressed and thrust myself from my room out into the hall.
Warriors ran down the corridors towards the front main hall as the crying and screaming filled the capital, causing concern to sweep through me like a rollercoaster.
“What’s going on?” I asked a passing warrior as I neared the grand staircase.
‘‘The first tier of the capital defense has broken through, beta. They are closing in.”
This was the second day after we’d received the warning from patrol that Kai’s army was stationed only a couple hundred miles away from Mirage.
I had so many doubts about the whole situation.
First of all, we had worked hard on securing the western border and making sure that Kai’s troops had been cut off from supplies.
It was impossible for them to get through our defenses, let alone get close to the capital! Yet, it happened.
Secondly, the first tier defense for the capital was built to withhold major attacks, and it should ideally last at least one week. However, it was broken in only one day.
There was only one explanation for this…
Letting my feet take the stairs two at a time, I ran towards the grand front door and stepped out into the cool morning
Smoke lined the sky in the distance as villagers ran towards the capital, seeking the safety of its powerful walls. Never had I expected the war to approach us this far, but in the end, they got past all of our barriers without warning. Crying, screaming, and pleading for safety cast a shadow over the once bright and cheerful walls of the capital. Its glittering gold was slowly being speckled with the drops of blood that came from wounded civilians who had been escaping.
I tried to comprehend what exactly had happened. When I went to bed the night before, everything was fine, and yet in a matter of forty-eight hours, chaos consumed our country.
Turning on my heels, I pushed through the ma*s*s hysteria of people seeking shelter and made my way towards the grand hall. The flocking of royals and leaders pushing through the large wooden doors seeking advice from their king.
“Calm down!” James’ voice roared through the tall vaulted ceilings, quieting everyone who stood waiting for an update on whether they were truly safe within the capital walls.
“King James,” I stated, bowing my head with respect.
His dark eyes glanced towards me. The deep dark bags beneath his eyes were heavy and clearly from his lack of sleep over the past few weeks. “We just received word from scouts that the western forces are only five miles away.”
“That’s impossible—” I gasped in disbelief as the chaos of other leaders consumed the surrounding area. “How did they get this close?!” one leader yelled, demanding an explanation.
“You told us they couldn’t get past. Ethan a*s*sured us he knew what he was doing!” Another white-haired man added, causing my eyes to dart to him with disdain.
Someone has to be helping our enemy. A spy, someone among us. It was the only explanation.
“Enough everyone!” James yelled, pressing his thumb to his temple.
I could only imagine the stress James was under right now. Ethan wasn’t here, and with Kai’s troops moving in closer, it was only a matter of time before the war was at our front door.
It was times like this when I was thankful to just be a Beta.
James sat silent on his throne as warrior after warrior approached him, as well as a man in a white cloak. The men all spoke in hushed whispers, piquing my curiosity.
Usually, information was shared amongst the leaders, and yet James seemed to keep secrets with these few men. Something about the situation was not sitting right with me.
“Your Majesty!” a voice called from behind me, drawing my attention from what I had been watching.
Everyone turned to the young warrior, who bowed his head before the king.
“There is a messenger at the gate.”
“From Kai?” the king questioned, raising a brow.
“Yes. He is requesting an audience with Your Majesty.”
My eyes turned towards King James. Hesitation filled his eyes as he straightened himself on his throne. “Bring him in.”
The warrior didn’t need to be told twice, and as I watched him exit the grand hall, I questioned why a messenger had been sent from Kai.
To send a messenger now, after all the bloodshed he had caused, seemed pointless. He had to want something. It was the only thing that made sense.
Heavy footsteps moved across the tile flooring of the hall. Dark hair, and green eyes set upon the slender body of a running messenger. The dirt and soot that caressed his skin showed signs of what his prior days had composed of.
The army was on the move, and whatever this messenger had to say would depict the outcome of what was about to happen.
“King James,” the messenger said clearly as he bowed his head and dropped to one knee. “I bring word from King Kai regarding the war.”
Hushed murmurs flowed over the crowd. The man’s words caught everyone’s attention as we listened to see what Kai’s demands were.
“Speak quickly,” James retorted in aggravation.
“Your capital is under siege, and it’s only a matter of time before we breakthrough the capital walls,” the messenger stated, causing murmurs in the crowd.
“No, you wouldn’t,” King James retorted. “Your forces are running out of supplies.”
“Your Majesty, you might be right, however, your city also has limited food and supplies, yet you have countless more civilians than we have members of our military.”
I frowned and had to admit he was right. Compared to Kai’s army, the capital was more vulnerable to the limited food and medical resources because most people in the capital were non-military civilians.
What’s more, we wouldn’t be able to get reinforcements-our troops were already spread thin between the frontline and the north. From what I could see, there would be limited reinforcements available for the capital, if any.
The messenger smiled. “However, my king is merciful, and he would hate to see unnecessary bloodshed. In fact, he has agreed to end the war, but only under one circumstance.”
“What would that be?” James sneered, leaning forward on his throne. His knuckles turned white with the grip he had on the chair’s arms.
“King Kai would like you to hand over Alpha Ethan, and the war will end.”
Collective gasps echoed in the hall as James’ eyes widened in shock. My own surprise coursed through me as I tried to make sure I had heard the man right.
Kai wanted Ethan?
If Kai was here claiming that this war was just because of Ethan, he was a liar.
There was no way that James could believe this falsehood, and if he did, then James was not fit to be king. This was more than a simple grudge related match.
“Your king asked me to give up the guardian of my country?” James sneered and raised his voice. “Is your king just too arrogant, or does he think I’m just stupid?!”
Everyone could hear the fury in his tone. No one spoke, and the hall was so quiet that I could hear a pin drop.
I sighed in relief at hearing the king’s retort. I didn’t know what I had been worried about. There was no way he could just hand over Ethan. Without Ethan, King James’ kingdom would fall, regardless.
Ethan was the brunt force behind James having succeeded in this war so far, and with everything going on, there was no way we could survive the outcome if King James agreed to Kai’s proposal.
“Your Majesty, I apologize on my king’s behalf for the misunderstanding that might have been caused.” The messenger bowed down again politely.
King James replied, “I see no misunderstanding that he started this war and invaded my country!” The messenger still maintained his diplomatic smile. “Your Majesty, please allow me to explain.”
“I see no need for that,” King James said. However, I knew he would want to know what Kai had to say. “Your Majesty, King Kai has only come this far to seek revenge on Ethan for having killed his brother, Victor!” The entire hall gasped. Then murmuring started to scatter across the hall. “Who was Victor…?”
“Don’t listen to him… he is here to distract us.”
“…but what if it is true? Alpha Ethan really was the cause of the capital…?”
It was like lightning striking across the sunny sky.
They might not know who Victor was, but I did.
Victor Black, Soren’s father, Ethan’s stepfather, who Ethan killed when he was 18!
Everything made sense now.
No wonder Ethan’s mother chose him over Ethan’s father! No wonder Soren would work for the West King Kai, because Kai was Soren’s uncle!
I cursed under my breath. D’mn it, this news would work against my Alpha.
The messenger continued. “If you hand over Ethan, King Kai will retreat and not press further into your country. Hundreds of lives will be spared.”
Hesitation and consideration flashed within James’ eyes. He was actually considering what the man had said, and without even answering, a roar of protests and agreements rang through the grand hall.
“Give them Ethan!”
“Our people are dying for one man!”
“End the war and give them what they want!”
Protest after protest, I thanked the heavens that Ethan wasn’t here right now. I could already see how the conversation would go if he was.
To think that many of these people relied on Ethan over the years for protection, and now they were willing to cast him to the ma*s*ses in order to save their own a*s*ses.
There was no loyalty with these men, and it disgusted me.
“Your Majesty!” I cleared my throat and made myself heard. “It makes no sense that King Kai would suddenly be willing to end this war for Ethan.” I started, speaking up over the roar of conversation.
All eyes turned to me as James raised a brow. “Why do you say that, Beta Talon?”
“If that was all he wanted, my King, then why not have sent this request to begin with? Why sit here and kill countless people and destroy our forces when he could have sent a messenger before all the confrontation?”
Everyone knew this was a trap, including the king. However, someone needed to speak up for my Alpha.
“I need time to discuss this,” James replied, his brows narrowed at the man before him. “Please escort this man to a holding area. I will call when I have my answer.”
For James to even need time to consider his decision didn’t sit well with me.
There was a lurking sense of uneasiness washing over me as I watched James continue to speak with an older man at his throne.
Whatever they were discussing was both important and pleasing to James.
“Gentlemen,” he stated loudly as he rose to his feet, “I know many of you have a lot of questions, all of which I hope to answer. However, right now, the most important one is what is best for our kingdom.”
“You can’t seriously even be considering declining this?” a disgruntled Alpha exclaimed with his arms crossed. “One life isn’t worth the many!”
“Enough!” James roared in return as he stepped forward towards the group who stood awaiting his order. “Beta Talon, where is Ethan now?”
I should have known that was the direction he was going to go in. I cursed under my breath.
“Your Majesty, I’m not sure,” I wished there was a way I could inform Ethan to turn around. He should not come back to the capital at this moment. “Word was sent out for him to return, but I haven’t heard from him since last night.” James nodded as if pleased with what I had said. “That’s good. We need him back here.”
“King James, you understand what will happen if we hand Ethan over, right?” I added, hoping that the king would not be this stupid.
“Are you questioning my judgment?” he snapped as he glared at me.
“No, my King. I just mean that I think they—”
“Enough!” he boomed, cutting me off mid-sentence, not allowing me to speak further.
Watler, the king’s advisor, jumped in, “Talon, you may be great at what you do, but a Beta shouldn’t speak unless spoken to.”
“Who doesn’t need to speak unless spoken to?” Ethan’s voice called out from behind me. My heart sank with concern over what was going to happen next.
Turning, I faced an angry-looking Ethan, who stalked into the room as if he owned it. For once, I had wished he wouldn’t have returned to the capital. The only thing that his return had done was fuel on already burning fire. Most of these men didn’t like Ethan because they were intimidated by him.
Now that Kai was offering a way out by handing over Ethan, they would surely agree.