Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder by Alice Knightsky
Chapter 68: Which Island is Being Used by Our Enemy?
**Ethan’s POV**
The river was running particularly fast that night as I stood there gazing out at it under the moonlight.
I knew I didn’t have long. I needed to get back soon. But I had snuck out to catch some fresh air. At least, that’s what I had told everyone.
I had fully intended to do just that, but now I found myself here- standing on the cliff’s edge, staring down at the water. I watched it run over the top of the jagged rocks, white caps violently cascading over the brink before they disappeared on the other side.
Sometimes a branch would fly up into the air, smash into a boulder, and then fall beneath the surface, fading away, never to be seen again.
I couldn’t let myself think of her that – way.
I couldn’t let my mind go there… to the images of what it would be like for her body to hit those rocks and break apart like those sticks.
It had been days, and still nothing. As I looked down at the water and saw how vicious it was, the idea that it could destroy all traces of her made it easier to accept.
“Alpha!” Talon’s voice cut through my thoughts, and I turned to see him hurrying toward me.
“The King needs us in the war room right away!”
Ever since we counterattacked against the rogues and evacuated the northern villages, the situation along the northern forest had been stabilized. We had now focused back on the west coast war against the West King, Alpha Kai. Talon’s voice told me, though, that this was more urgent than usual.
I turned and looked at him, his face illuminated by the moon’s light, and took several hurried steps in his direction. “What is it?”
“Kai’s men have taken over three cities along the west coast,” he said.
I froze. “Sorry?”
“You heard me correctly.” Talon’s expression could not have made it clearer that the bad news was true. I took a deep breath. “Why haven’t we heard about this until now?” Talon shook his head. “They were too fast,” he explained.
We rushed back to the war room.
“The last attack happened a few hours ago,” Talon said, “Here.” He picked up a marker and made another X. I looked at the pattern of Xs.
“The patrol didn’t catch wind of them at all along the coast?” James asked, standing up and surveying the map from different angle. “It doesn’t make any sense. Where could they possibly be starting from to get to our mainland so quickly?”
We were all looking at the large map he had spread on the table in the war room. It was the main map we used to chart movements of all kinds: troops, resources, attacks, withdrawals- everything.
“The closest point of Alpha Kai’s territory is here,” Walter, James’s advisor, said, touching the map in one spot. “It’s far enough away that we should have seen his forces coming, one would think. He would have to use ships to get there, and we have ours in the open water here.” He gestured toward our navy vessels indicated on the map.
James nodded. “Yes, I know, Walter,” He said it with less cynicism in his voice than I would’ve been able to muster. “That’s why I don’t understand how enemy troops keep flooding into our territories without giving us any indication that they’re coming.”
“Unless….”
I paused, studying the map.
A pang hit me in the stomach, one I didn’t want to acknowledge, but it was there nonetheless. I didn’t even want to say the words aloud in front of so many people, particularly if I was wrong.
My cousin looked at me for a second, an eyebrow arched. “What is it, Ethan?” he asked.
I cleared my throat. Deciding it was better not to say what I was thinking in the larger group, I changed track. “Unless we figure out what he’s doing… we are going to continue to lose the battles.”
I saw James and the others deflate, as if they had hoped I was on to something.
“Yes, that’s true,” James said.
We continued to study the map for several moments, but no one had any ideas.
The more I looked at it, the more I realized my gut instinct had to be right. There really was only one possibility of where the enemy troops could be launching from.
The notion made a white-hot fire burn within me. However, regardless of how I felt inside, I had to stay calm in front of everyone.
“It’s getting late,” James finally said a bit after midnight. Our definitions of what “getting late” meant had changed now that we were at war. “Let’s convene again at first light and see if a few hours of sleep have left any of us inspired.”
The others nodded and headed for the door. I hung back.
Once the other leaders had all left the room, I turned to my cousin and said, “I hope that I’m wrong, but I think I know where they must be launching from.”
James studied my face for a moment. “I thought you had an idea earlier. Why didn’t you share it with us?”
“I’ll get to that in a moment,” I replied. Leaning over the map, I said, “What’s the only place on this map that’s west of our naval patrols and east of the coast of the West Kingdom?”
I could see, in my cousin’s face, the same betrayal and anger beginning to well up inside of him as he pondered the possibility that what I was suggesting was true.
He stared at me for a moment before he replied, “The islands? But… aren’t those part of Denali?”
I nodded. “Yes, they are.”
“But if Alpha Kal is actually launching attacks from these islands, part of the Islands of Denali, he couldn’t be doing that without permission. Without Alpha Romero knowing about it, without his consent, without his… approval.”
“That’s right,” was all I could manage to spit out.
James was shaking his head. “But why- “
“Not that hard to guess.” Now that I’d gotten a few minutes to sort through the information, I was able to put myself in Romero’s shoes. “The Islands are in between us and Kai, and both sides need Romero’s help. Honestly, even now that we suspect him, there isn’t much we can do.”
From James’s expression, I knew he had followed my logic. “It’s not like we can force him to collaborate with us- just like Kai can’t force Romero, either.” James sighed. “So, you think Romero is working with both sides?”
“Or at war with both sides, depending on how you look at it. But the bottom line is, it doesn’t matter which side wins- his islands will be spared and kept safe.”
I paused.
“However, I believe that he prefers for us to win the war.”
I didn’t need to provide the reasoning behind my theory, because James already got it. He finished what I didn’t say: “ …Otherwise, he wouldn’t push for the marriage between you and Madalynn.”
“I’ll need to figure out which island is being used by our enemy.” I tried to change the topic, but from James’ look, I knew what was in his mind.
No matter how hard I was trying to push it off, I knew he wouldn’t allow me this time.
“I need you to move forward with marrying Madalynn.”
I pressed my lips tight and didn’t answer. His aging eyes turned to me, looking at me with pity. “Is this because of that girl… the breeder?”
I’d forbidden everyone from mentioning her, including myself. However, at the same time, all I wanted to hear was something, anything, about her. The conflicting feelings were making me lose my mind.
“I’m too busy with everything going on to deal with a wedding right now,” I deflected. “This war, and our people, need my full attention.”
“Is it so?” James looked at me quietly. “Ethan, don’t lie to yourself. And please don’t make me force you to do this.”
The truth was… I could not bring myself to face Madalynn. Not yet. I didn’t know how long it would take, but not yet- not right now.
Just like I couldn’t bring myself to forget about Rosalie.
“Ethan, whether you are still upset about that girl or not… what happened already happened. It’s a sad situation for a lot of people. From what I heard, she was a sweet woman. But I must ask you to move on from her and take charge of the future. Marry Madalynn, and produce an heir.”
Before I could reply, he held up his hand, stopping me in my tracks, and left the room by himself.
The conversation was done.
My head was about to explode. Tonight would be another sleepless night for me.