Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder

Chapter 83 : A Place We All Belong

“This is far from good..." I muttered.

"Dylan?" Payne asked. “That isn't a very common name. There's only one Dylan I can think of." "And it is probably the one we're thinking of too,” Thomas said. He sighed and stood up, stretching his back until it popped.

“Dylan Crimson, the Alpha King's third or fourth cousin?" Payne asked.

“That's the one," Thomas agreed with a nod.

Payne creased his brow. “That's not possible... he's been missing for years.”

“Before he went missing, Soren and I ran into a four-toed wolf. We fought and he was definitely strong. But the conflict didn't escalate,” Thomas explained.

“I don't think he wanted us to recognize him. He ran off."

“But he was a great fighter. I remember both of us were impressed and thrown for a loop.”

"So, when we got back from our patrol, Soren and I did our research. The only name we could come up with for a four-toed wolf was Dylan Crimson,” Thomas added.

“I don't know much about him," Payne admitted. “Dylan shared the royal family's last name. He was King Sebastian's Beta for a while... until he disappeared. It was sudden, if I recall correctly.”

“It was very sudden," I agreed with a nod.

“No one ever knew where he went."

"We never saw him or heard from him again after that fight. It was such a trivial conflict we didn't spend any more time investigating him,” Thomas said, motioning between me and himself.

"Why are you so sure that it is Dylan this time? Just based on the four claws?" Payne asked.

“That, and Mila told me to watch out for the Alpha King," I said.

“Wait, she did?" Thomas asked. “That is a total can of worms you don't want to open.”

“If this is Dylan, he's part of the royal family, which means there has to be a connection. Mila wouldn't give a warning like that lightly,” I assured.

“That's reaching. We have to be very careful if we're going to start suspecting the Alpha King," Payne warned.

"We're being careful. Besides, right now this is about Dylan and Chandler. I never expected the two of them to be together,” I said. I rubbed my chin thoughtfully.

“What should we do now, Boss?"

Payne asked, looking at me with wide, concerned eyes.

I could understand his concerns about putting the Alpha King on our enemy list. He was the most powerful man in the realm and we were definitely no match for him. Thomas was right, that was a can of worms I did not want to open.

No matter how hard I tried, I'd never be able to close it.

Right now, we had more important things to worry about.

"Don't worry, Payne, I'm not about to declare war on the Alpha King. We do need to get ready to go after Chandler and save Mila," I said.

"What do you want to do?" Thomas asked.

"We'll have Ashley stay at the base with a small group of warriors to keep it safe. Payne, I want you to gather everyone else and prepare them to follow me. And Thomas, I want you to spread the word that both the universal artifact and the Blade of Souls have been stolen by Norwind," I Instructed.

"Um... Soren..."

"What?" I asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Once the word is out, Norwind will be the center of attention and focus for all our known and unknown enemies,” Thomas pointed out.

"And?"

"Well, that could bring destruction to their pack...”

I smirked. “Your point?"

We headed back to the inn to finalize our preparations. As Payne and Thomas were making plans, something occurred to me.

If I was seriously going to go after Chandler, I couldn't hide in the shadows anymore. This would be an act of war, whether he was able to fight back or not. I'd need to make sure my people had the organization and the structure to handle an attack like this.

“Payne, come here for a moment,” I said, motioning him over when he came into the bar.

"We're almost ready,” he said.

“We're going to have a small delay. Let me ask you, what would you think about calling me Alpha instead of Boss?"

Payne's lips quirked up in a subtle smile.

“I'd say it is long overdue.”

"Gather everyone together. I want to make an official, formal statement. Everyone here has earned the right to be a part of our strange pack and to celebrate with us.”

"Agreed..."

Payne sighed and didn't leave right away. His eyes shifted back and forth and he looked nervous. “Payne, what's on your mind?" I asked.

“I support you Soren and I'm loyal to you, and I support this pack. Will you give me leave to rebuild Pomeni if the opportunity arises?"

I smiled lightly and nodded, clapping Payne on the shoulder.

“Yes. I will never hold you or Ashley back from that.”

“Then let's celebrate!"

Payne gathered all my men and warriors together, along with all the new recruits that Thomas had been training.

Thomas had been out spreading rumors about Norwind but he returned in time for the announcement. Beers were being passed around and the kitchen had made plenty of food and snacks.

Everyone seemed happy and relaxed, despite knowing that we were about to mobilize on a mission to confront Norwind and rescue Mila.

“Can I have your attention?” I asked, standing up.

Thomas tapped a knife against his beer bottle, making a clinking, ringing sound.

The chatter died down.

“Thank you. I know you're all aware of the venture we are about to take and I wanted to thank you for standing with me.”

“We love you, Soren!"

“We'll stand by you forever!"

“You're the Boss, Boss!"

I chuckled and shook my head.

“Well, we've all enjoyed the life of outcasts and outlaws but the one thing we've lacked is security, stability, and belonging. I want to remedy that by transforming our gang into an official pack,” I said.

Cheers and claps went through the crowd but I noticed some murmurs of confusion and hesitation. “I've got Alpha blood in me and it is my birthright to lead a pack. I didn't want a pack, I wanted this crazy group. But now, I want us to be a pack, and I want to be your Alpha, if you'll have me."

The inn erupted in cheers and clinking glass as everyone toasted each other.

Smiling, I took a swig of my beer. It was good to see that they all supported me and the transformation into a pack. I wondered how long it would take them to start calling me Alpha instead of Boss.

"Oh, one more thing, and then you can drink to your heart's content,” I shouted to get their attention again.

Immediately, they fell silent.

“Mila is my mate and she's going to be my Luna when we get her back," I told them.

"We'll get her back for you..."

"We won't rest until your Luna is back at your side..."

“Norwind will pay for messing with our Luna!"

The vows continued and then they all began drinking and celebrating. I headed to a booth where Payne and Thomas were sitting.

Tomorrow, we'd mobilize and get Mila back. Tonight, the pack had the right to party, celebrate, and enjoy one last good time.

Due to what we were about to get involved with, they deserved a good celebration.

“Thomas, I want you to spread another rumor,” I said.

"What now?" he asked, arching an eyebrow.

“I want you to spread the rumor that Dylan Crimson, the Alpha King's wayward cousin, has joined with Norwind to get his hands on the artifacts because he wants to claim the throne for himself," I said.

“Soren, you're insane. This is just asking for trouble.”

“I thought you said you weren't going after the Alpha King," Payne interjected

“I'm not. But if we can get him to go after Dylan, that is one less person we need to deal with," I explained.

“Do you want Dylan to get attacked by other packs?" Thomas asked.

“I want him to be just as involved as the rest of us. He's not going to get to hide in the shadows of the forest this time," I insisted.

“You know a rumor like that can be damaging. It could repeat the tragedy from... well the last time,” Thomas said.

I clenched my fists and glared at Thomas and Payne. We'd just established that I was Alpha and they were part of my pack.

Why were they questioning every move I made? This was how we were going to get Mila back and gain the upper hand. Turning our enemies against each other was the quickest way to divide their strength.

“Dylan is involved in this. Mila has grown strong and Chandler wouldn't have gotten the jump on her without Dylan's assistance. He's gone too far this time, provoking me..." I snarled.

“You're right," Thomas said, nodding.

“It doesn't matter if the same thing happens again. I don't care what happens to them as long as we get Mila back and she is safe!”

I slammed my palm on the table.

“I see you're upset, Soren, but you've got to think this through calmly.”

I growled and sipped my beer to avoid saying more. What Thomas didn't realize was that I was thinking clearly. Just because I was angry didn't mean I couldn't strategize. As my Beta, Thomas did have the right to question me but, in this case, he was out of line.

“Payne, you can spread the rumor, since Thomas seems reluctant,” I said, glaring at Thomas.

“Yes, Alpha, I'll see it done,” Payne assured.

I smirked at Thomas.

"See, that is how you are supposed to respond,” I told him.

“Hey, I'm your Beta. It is my job to call you out when I think you're being nuts, and getting the Alpha King and royal family involved tends to make me think you're nuts.”

"And you're entitled to your opinion. But I will still delegate to someone else if I have to."

“I'll do it," Payne repeated.

“No, Alpha Soren is right, I will do it,” Thomas said, holding a hand up to Payne.

He stood and left us in the booth, heading off to begin spreading the rumor mill. No one could spread rumors better than Thomas. He had the right charm and charisma and that went a long way towards convincing others that he believed what he was selling.

I watched Thomas speak to a few other people as he left the bar.

“I'm not going to sleep tonight, I'll see if I can get any leads on Mila's whereabouts,” Payne said, standing up.

“Thank you."

He nodded and left.

I finished my beer and headed to my room. The rest of the pack would be partying late into the night but I wasn't feeling overly celebratory.

Lying down on my bed, I closed my eyes and relaxed every muscle in my body. Taking deep breaths, I reached out with my mind, focusing only on Mila.

Where was she? Could she hear me? If I could just establish a mindlink with her...