Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder by Alice Knightsky
Chapter 186 Ethan’s Sacrifice
**Ethan’s POV**
The moment Talon saw me, his eyes filled with terror. “Goddess! Ethan, what happened to you?!” I didn’t answer him, “Talon, send some guys over there to bring Soren back, now!”
“Yes, Alpha!”
“Also, Behar’s troops are down by half. Ask Landon and Vandough to go after them. Their morale is destroyed, and this is our best chance to eliminate as many of them as we can!”
I was too beaten up to fight, however, I could still lead. Others were obviously worried about my wounds, but we were in the middle of a battle, and there was no time for distraction.
“Yes, Alpha!” Talon ran off.
“Thank you, Thomas,” I said. As soon as he dropped me off, he turned around and joined the team headed across the footpath to retrieve my brother. The last time I had seen him, he was facing off against Behar, but I couldn’t see him now. I couldn’t see either one of them. Commander Landon took charge of half of our forces. He sent them around the edge of the trench to rout the enemy forces that were already on the run. General Vandough, who was on the other side of our line, did the same
It was clear that we were winning. In a matter of an hour, the enemy was running from the field and trying to keep out of the clutches of our warriors. We had to have taken out the majority of the men led by Behar, which would be more than half of the enemy’s overall forces. With losses like this, any military leader would have to take a step back to re-evaluate the strategy.
Their morale had to be especially low as many of them were afraid there were more traps. I saw trepidation in their eyes.
I couldn’t help but smile. I saw one of the troops I’d sent after Soren coming back.
Georgia had arrived, standing next to me. Her eyes were full of concern, I figured both for my horrible wounds and for Soren’s absence. “Did you find him?” I asked the soldier in wolf form.
He shook his head. Using the mindlink, he said, ‘No, not yet, sir.’
“D*mnit,” I muttered aloud. “Keep looking for him! Get every man available to look for him!” The wolf turned and ran back the way he’d come.
Georgia helped me to keep my balance. I was too weak to stand up straight for long. “I shouldn’t have ran off and left him behind,” I mumbled. “They’ll find him,” my sister said. She said that to me and to herself.
I said softly, “I’m sorry.”
Georgia stared at me firmly. “He’ll be fine!! I have faith in him, just like I have faith in you!”
“…Thank you!” That was all I could say. Looking back from afar, fire, smoke, tens of thousands of dead wolves all reminded me that I’d done everything I could to prepare for her return. I wished I could clear out all our enemies and hand a peaceful northern tier to her, but I didn’t have much time.
‘Alpha, we’ve got Soren! One the way back!’
“They found Soren,” I told Georgia, whose face immediately showed that she was relieved. I blew out a long exhale I was finally ready to do what I needed to do.
I looked at Georgia again. “Georgia, keep an eye out for Soren for me, okay?”
“Of course,” she said. When she saw I had started to walk away, she asked, “Hey, where are you going? Are you able to walk?”
“I want to check on Rosalie,” I said, “and yes.” Georgia wanted to say something else, but she swallowed it back
I turned around and started walking back to the palace where I saw Seraphine running at me, shouting, “Alpha Ethan!” I heard desperation in her voice. My heart froze in my chest. There was only one reason why Seraphine would be shouting like that for me.
“Rosalie…” I murmured. Leaving Georgia behind, I sprinted across the ground to Seraphine. “What is it?” I asked her, my eyes wide and my heart hammering.
She shook her head. “She needs you-now.” I took off. When I reached her room, I saw her pale face, and all of the oxygen was sucked out of my lungs. It was obvious that Rosalie was fading quickly.
We all slowly approached her bed, and I heard Vicky burst into tears. I didn’t know what to do, what to think, what to say.
“I believe… it is her time.” Seraphine had tears rolling down her face as she spoke. With a heaviness inside of me that penetrated to my very soul, I looked at Rosalie.
“May I have a minute alone with her?” I asked, not moving my gaze away from her.
“Alpha Ethan—” Seraphine said softly before I snapped out of my stupor and turned to face her.
“I just want some time with my son’s mother!” Seraphine sighed. Then she turned and slowly made her way out of the room, leaving me alone with Rosalie.
I tried to hold myself together, but it was hard to see her like this.
“I won’t let you die, Rosalie,” I started, looking down at her face. “I can’t let you die, not when I have any hope to save you. I’m sorry, I am going to do things against your will again.”
She lay so perfectly still on the bed, her white hair framing her lovely face, it almost seemed like she had already passed away, like her beautiful soul had already left us behind and flown off to join the Moon Goddess and her mother.
But I could faintly hear her pulse, the soft thumping of her heart in her chest barely audible even to my wolf ears.
Kneeling down next to her, I gently caressed her silky-smooth cheek,
“I know you can’t hear me, but that’s probably the best for us right now. I don’t think I’d ever be able to tell you all this if you were awake.”
I chuckled bitterly, and the wounds on my face stung. “I thought I’d never be afraid of anything, until I met you. I wish things could be different, Rosalie. I wish that we could be together here, in this life, that you could be my wife, and I could be the husband you deserve-someone who would love you, treasure you, protect you, and give you the life that you have always wanted. But… I have failed you at every turn, and no matter how badly I want to be that man, I know it won’t be me.”
I took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “When we were at the temple a few days ago, I had so much to tell you. I wanted to apologize to you. I remembered everything I did as a rogue. I wanted to tell you that I’d do everything I could to make it up to you. But I also wanted to tell you that, as ashamed as I was, the time I spent with you, whether I was a rogue or not, would be treasured in my heart forever.”
I wasn’t afraid of what I was going to do. It would be an honor, but I would miss her so very much.
I would also miss our son. I had longed to see him grow up and become a strong, courageous leader. I had hoped that I would see Rowan be the man I had always wished I could be.
Now, someone else would step in and fill my role. The idea left my heart twisted, but I couldn’t allow myself to think about that now.
“When our son is older, please be sure to tell him how much I love him.” I thought of the bracelet I’d give him. He would always have that to remember me by.
“I hope that when you see what I’m about to do, you won’t be too angry with me, Rosalie. I know that you don’t want to be tied to me at all. But don’t worry… it won’t last long.” I almost snickered at the thought of her waking up to find that I’d marked her and going into a rage over my dead body. She’d have her freedom despite my actions-soon enough.
I leaned down and gently pressed my lips to her forehead before sliding down and kissing her lips. They were only lukewarm, but her scent was as alluring as usual. I would forever remember her sweetness.
She looked even more still and peaceful now than she had when I’d left her.
Kneeling down next to her, I brushed my lips against hers again. Tears glistened in my eyes, not because I was about to leave this world, but because I knew I was going to miss out on so much. “Whether you believe it or not, I truly do love you, Rosalie. With all my heart.”
I pulled her shirt back away from her neck, and then, sinking my teeth into her smooth skin, I bit down, feeling my fangs emerge slightly and pierce her skin.
As soon as my teeth punctured her, I felt a wave of energy flow through my mouth, entering my body and immediately knocking me backward. It was like a great dark wave of blackness, as if all of the evil in the world had been transferred from my sweet Rosalie to me.
The world around me quickly grew blurry as pain consumed me, a burning fire starting in my mouth and traveling throughout every cell, all the way to the tips of my fingers and the pads of my toes.
I had no oxygen in my lungs to cry out, and as the raging inferno intensified, all I could do was look at Rosalie’s face, willing her to open her eyes so I could see those beautiful orbs one more time.
But the world was beginning to fade around the edges, and my own eyelids became so heavy, I could barely keep my eyes open.
I used all my strength so that my weight would not hurt Rosalie as I felt my head slumping down on her stomach, and with my eyes focused on her propped-up face, I sucked in a short breath of air and then… felt myself slip away.
However, strangely, I didn’t lose my consciousness like I thought. I was still alert. What happened?