Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder

Chapter 81: A Tomb

I managed to make it out of the rogue zone without Soren or anyone coming after me. I didn't want him to come after me but I was a little surprised that he hadn't noticed I was gone yet. Maybe he just let me go. I'd left his dresser a little messy. He might have discovered that I found the photo and realized I knew the truth and wasn't going to bother convincing me to stay.

As I got onto the open road, a bush beside me rustled.

I hardly paused and kept walking.

Another bush rustled, even closer to me this time. I kept walking, not wanting to alert whoever was following me that I knew they were there. This time, I wasn't helpless. Soren wouldn't need to protect me.

Suddenly, the bushes exploded, and several wolves burst out. They surrounded me, snarling and licking their lips.

Several men appeared from between the trees and closed in around me. One of them I recognized immediately. It was Chandler from Norwind pack. These had to be his loyal followers. Sneering, I shook my head. “Are you here to abduct me again?” “I'm not that rude. Is that really what you think of me?" Chandler asked, scoffing. “This time, I'm here to invite you to be my guest." “Why would I want to do that?" I snarled, crossing my arms. “Well, because you're out here wandering alone. I figured you'd need a place to stay.”

“That's very presumptuous of you. But you're wrong."

“Really? I don't think so.”

Chandler smirked at me.

“Get the f**k out of my way!" I cried, throwing my arms out. I was not in the mood to stand there and deal with Chandler and his games. "Didn't you learn your lesson from last time?"

“Well, last time you had the big bad wolf, Soren, come to your rescue. I don't see him anywhere this time," Chandler said, grinning.

“You didn't see him around last time, either.”

“Mila, Mila, be careful what you say."

“Get out of my way, Chandler, or you'll be sorry! You have no idea what I'm capable of and I'm not in the mood to deal with a slimy, selfish creep like you!"

Chandler growled and his wolves tensed. I could tell they were ready to pounce at any moment.

“I told you to watch your mouth, b***h! If you don't, I will teach you how to use it properly,” he warned.

“Whatever.”

I rolled my eyes and started walking away from Chandler and his group. I made it a few feet before Chandler snapped his fingers and his wolves circled around me again, blocking my exit. “Where's your big bad protector now?" Chandler asked, laughing dryly. “Did the two of you get into a fight?"

I narrowed my eyes at Chandler. There was no way I was going to admit to anything and give Chandler more reasons to play games and tease me.

“I'm guessing you two did get into a fight. Otherwise, he wouldn't have let me get this close. You were just too easy to get to," he said.

“I told you not to get in my way!" I snapped.

Taking a deep breath, I started chanting a spell from the spell book Soren had helped me translate.

“Immo, rimo, tetha, banno," I muttered, envisioning what the spell was supposed to do.

Magic welled up inside of me and the ground shook.

“What's going on?" one of Chandler's warriors asked.

“Stand your ground. It's nothing, just a trick!" he ordered.

“This is magic!" someone cried.

The ground split open and roots burst out from the dirt. They wrapped around Chandler's legs and the legs of his warriors, the ones in human form and wolf form.

The wolves yelped and struggled as the roots pulled them down to the ground.

“Stop it!" one of the warriors cried.

Even Chandler's eyes widened with surprise and maybe a little fear. “You little witch!" Chandler snapped.

He reached for me but the roots held him firmly in place.

I smirked and gave a satisfied nod.

“Guess I don't need Soren to protect me after all.”

I adjusted my backpack on my shoulder and continued down the road. The sounds of Chandler and his men struggling and snarling against the roots made it impossible for me to stop smiling.

It felt really good to fight back and use my own skills to protect myself. Now more than ever, I was sure I could survive on my own outside the rogue zone and away from Soren.

Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap.

I whipped around as the echoing sounds of someone clapping reverberated off the trees. I couldn't see anyone in the forest and when I looked back at Chandler and his men, none of them were clapping. They were still struggling against the roots.

“Who's there?" I called into the trees.

Immediately, I started thinking of a spell I could use on another attacker.

A low, threatening laugh came out of the forest and a large, shadowy figure appeared between the trees. I couldn't see his features or anything about his face. He was completely shrouded in darkness.

“Well done, little witch," the voice said, deep and rasping. “I'll be honest, you're more interesting than I thought.”

I crossed my arms. “Who are you?"

My spell hadn't worked on him. I'd aimed for anyone nearby, so he should have been stuck in the roots too. Even though he was all dressed in black I could tell that he wasn't stuck in any roots.

Did that mean he was more powerful than me? He knew I was a witch and he wasn't affected by my spells.

Who was this guy?

“Want to see some real magic?" he asked, laughing.

The air closed in on me. It thickened until it was like a snake wrapping around me, constricting until I could barely breathe. Coughing, I tried to move my arms but I couldn't. They were pinned at my sides by the unbearable pressure.

My assailant stayed in the shadows, laughing. His laughter rang in my ears like an alarm and I couldn't shut it out.

Knees trembling, my legs got weaker and threatened to give out. I tried to open my mouth and say a spell that would protect me or subdue my attacker but no words came out. I thought the words over and over again, trying to force the spell to manifest but nothing happened.

“And now, I'm just disappointed and bored," the stranger said.

I was getting light headed because I couldn't breathe. My legs gave out and I fell on my hands and knees, the crushing pressure on my back forcing me face down into the road.

“We'll meet again.”

He was gone but the pressure still crushed me.

Footsteps thundered down the road as Chandler and his men approached. They were free from their bindings and I couldn't get up!

His men were on me in a second. They pulled my arms behind me and tied my arms and legs. The pressure eased and I could breathe again.

Immediately, I started fighting against them but I was already tied tight.

“Hold her! Gag her too! I don't want her casting any more spells,” Chandler barked.

He grabbed me and I heard my clothes rip. Just a small sliver tore off. He grabbed at the bracelet that Soren had given me.

“No!" I cried; my voice muffled by the gag. It just sounded like a pained groan.

I twisted as much as possible to keep the bracelet out of Soren's grasp. He ignored my struggles and my pleas.

“Just hold her still," he repeated.

More hands came down on me and held me still. I was crushed under pressure again and I couldn't move. My backpack dug into my body, hands pressing it down on me.

The Blade of Souls sliced through my backpack and scraped my arm. It wasn't a bad cut but blood still dripped down my arm. Chandler finally got his hands on the bracelet. He tore it off my wrist, breaking the clasp.

“You're trying to protect this,” he pointed out. “Must be a gift from that wolf protector of yours.

Scoffing, he tossed the bracelet on the ground. It skittered through the dirt.

“Based on the bracelet, I would think he cared more about you. But apparently, he doesn't. Why don't I do you a favor? You and I are going to put this to the test, to see how willing he is to come to your rescue.”

I shook my head and growled. There wasn't much I could say with the gag in my mouth. Chandler was completely shameless.

And yet... my heart tightened with bitterness.

Would Soren rescue me? I didn't think he'd come to save me this time.

In the past, he came to rescue me because of the deal. But the deal wasn't enough anymore. At least, I didn't think it was. He'd already fulfilled enough of it.

Besides, he'd know by now that I saw the picture in the dresser. Would he still come rescue me even though I knew about his past? And if he did come to rescue me, would it really be me that he was rescuing or would he be coming to save the woman in the picture, the woman that was really in his heart?

“We've got to get moving," Chandler said, cutting into my thoughts. “Make sure she doesn't see anything.”

Someone behind me hit me hard in the head. Immediately, the world around me went black.

Groaning, I opened my eyes. My hands weren't tied up any more but I was lying on the floor. Or the ground.

Glancing around, I knew I was inside but the floor felt cold, hard, and jagged. It was stone. I sat up and rubbed my wrists. They were still sore from the rope tied around me.

Behind me was another stone wall.

There were no electric lights or torches but there were soft light orbs illuminating the room I was in. They were luminous stones, which were expensive and rare. They provided a blue-green light that let me see my surroundings well enough.

With how expensive those light stones were, I figured I was at Alpha Chandler's. He had more money than anyone else except maybe the Alpha King.

My head ached and I took a deep breath, leaning against the wall behind me.

I should have been able to protect myself. But I couldn't! There was still someone more powerful out there, someone that knew my limits and had completely blindsided me.

I still felt a little weak, like all my energy had been sapped out of me.

The dim lighting in the room and the rocky floor and walls made it feel eerie. I had a feeling I was underground and there weren't any doors or windows that I could see.

Finally, I got to my feet. My knees ached and my legs protested. I leaned my back against the wall for support and looked around some more.

There was something in the center of the cavern. It looked similar to the light stones but it wasn't actually giving off light. It was refracting the dim light in the room. Since I wasn't tied up I could move around freely and I went to examine the large object.

It looked like it was made out of some kind of crystal. It was very hard and had smooth, glassy surfaces.

I moved to the head of the crystal. The way it was shaped made me uneasy. It was shaped like a coffin. A crystal coffin.

My stomach churned uncomfortably. Gulping, I looked into the glassy, clear surface at the top of the crystal coffin. There was a woman's face in there... eyes closed. She looked almost peaceful... This place was a tomb!