Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder

Chapter 1417 - 16 : Stand and Fight

Chapter 16 - Stand and Fight

*Rhys*

I stood beside Conall, my jaw clenched tightly. I hated to see that look on Saoirse’s face, and I hated to be the one who put it there. But her safety was more important than her happiness. That beast had gotten far too close to her.

It had soared above us, its shadow vast and imposing. The sight of it—scales shimmering beneath the sun, wings outstretched in a silent threat—had rooted me to the spot. A primal fear clawed at my insides. It was too close to the vision in my nightmares brought to life.

"Prince Rhys," Conall snapped, his voice sharp as flint, "focus. We have a monster to slay."

"Right." My voice came out strained. I looked away, not wanting him to see the unease that undoubtedly painted my face. Guilt gnawed at my conscience. Siding with him and Alpha Strider felt like a betrayal to Saoirse, but her safety eclipsed all other concerns, and it was a risk I couldn’t bear.

Alpha Strider’s eyes scanned the horizon. He made his decision, and his command was clear. "Conall, Rhys, you must work together. This threat endangers us all. I will alert the neighboring packs and Blackstone."

He shared a pointed look with Conall, but his words were heavy with the weight of responsibility. I could sense his urgency.

"Let’s move out," I ordered. Conall nodded, his arrogance dampened by the gravity of our task. We exchanged a look of grim understanding before setting off.

"Our warriors are more than ready to face this threat," Conall said after a few paces, his voice betraying a hint of pride.

"Let’s hope it’s enough," I muttered. The reality was that we were hunting something ancient that belonged to the skies and the myths.

"Enough? Of course, it’s enough. We’re hunters, Your Highness."

"Even hunters can become the hunted," I replied softly.

The forest quivered under the disturbance of our passage, the search party’s boots crunching over a carpet of leaves and pine needles. I led the way, my eyes scanning the ground for signs of the beast, following the trail of destruction it had left behind. Broken branches littered the path. The claw marks gouged into tree trunks spoke of immense power.

"Here," I called out, pausing at the edge of a clearing where the strange mound rose from the earth like an ancient tomb. It was the same one Saoirse had captured with her camera.

Conall, ever eager to assert his might, stepped forward, his nostrils flaring as he took in the sight. "We should burn it," he declared, gesturing toward the mound with a ferocity that matched his nature. "Destroy the nest home before it returns."

I held up a hand, silencing him. "No. We climb and look inside first." My voice was firm, leaving no room for argument. It wasn’t just about destroying. It was about understanding.

I instructed a few of my trusted men to climb up and take a look before Conall’s impulsive desires could poison the men.

The men exchanged uneasy glances but obeyed, scaling the sides of the mound with the agility of the wolves they could become. Conall remained on the ground, his impatience a palpable force.

"Anything?" I called up to the men who had disappeared over the rim of the mound.

"Steam," came a muffled reply. "But it’s empty."

I nodded, though my gut twisted with unease. The dragon had known its nest was compromised and vulnerable. It had moved on, but I wondered where to.

"Empty, you say?" Conall muttered, his brow furrowed. "A clever beast, isn’t it?"

"Too clever for a quick blaze to solve our problem," I retorted, eyeing the surrounding woods. "It knows we’re here now. It won’t return."

"Then let’s find where it’s hiding before it strikes again," Conall said, his gaze hardening. He was scared, though he’d never admit it. Maybe I was also afraid, but fear wouldn’t guide my actions when there was so much we didn’t understand about the creature whose home we had invaded.

The scent of pine and charred wood filled the air as Conall, his face set in grim determination, convinced his men to follow through with his plan. "Burn it," he ordered, gesturing toward the mound with a sweeping motion of his arm. "Let’s make sure this beast has no home to return to."

"Conall," I began, my voice laced with frustration, "that’s not going to solve–"

"Enough, Your Highness," Conall snapped, cutting me off. The fire in his eyes told me he was beyond reason. "We do this now."

I watched, seething, as they jumped to set the nest ablaze. Flames licked the sky, sending a column of smoke billowing into the crisp air. It was a reckless act born of fear and ignorance. Somewhere hidden from our sight, the dragon’s legacy remained, and we had just announced our presence with a beacon of smoke.

"Come on," I muttered to myself, turning away from the smoldering ruin. My wolf senses sharpened as I followed the barely discernible trail left by the dragon. Each bent twig or displaced stone spoke to me, telling the tale of its hasty retreat.

"Where are you going?" Conall called after me, his voice rough like gravel.

"Tracking," I replied without looking back. "There’s more at stake here than you realize."

"Prince Rhys, wait!" His plea fell on deaf ears. My mind was already racing ahead to the rocky slopes where danger and discovery awaited.

The climb was steep, and my muscles burned with exertion, but there was an exhilaration in the challenge, a primal satisfaction that came with the hunt. Each step brought me closer to the truth and understanding the creature we feared so blindly.

As I climbed higher, the trail grew fresher. Broken branches bore damp sap, and claw marks scarred the earth, still unsettled from the dragon’s passage. The footholds became fewer and farther between, and the air thinned, but I pressed on, driven by a need deeper than instinct.

"Your Highness, slow down!" Conall’s voice echoed from below, tinged with annoyance. But I was not slowing down until I found what I was searching for.

At last, I reached a plateau. I paused to catch my breath. Below, the world stretched out in shades of green and brown, peaceful and oblivious to the turmoil churning within me. A sharp-eyed hawk circled overhead, its cry piercing the silence.

"Did you find anything?" Conall panted as he caught up, his brow glistening with sweat.

"Shh," I hissed, holding up a hand. My gaze locked onto a series of deep gouges that marred the rock face ahead. There was a pattern to the chaos, a purpose to the destruction. It was a path, perhaps a path meant to be followed.

"By the gods, what is it?" Conall whispered. His bravado faltered as he saw the intensity in my eyes.

"We’ll know soon enough," I answered quietly.

Together, we advanced, following the dragon’s call etched into the very bones of the earth, not knowing whether we were hunters or the hunted. I knew one thing with certainty. Our next choices would set our course for some time.

The climb had been grueling. We crested the final rise. Before us lay the mouth of a cave, half-concealed by tendrils of sulfuric steam. My nostrils flared at the acrid tang, and my wolf senses rebelled against the stench, but it was the sight within that held me captive.

"What is this place?" Conall’s voice wavered, unsteady like a youngling on uncertain ground.

"Sanctuary," I murmured, my gaze fixed on the cavern’s treasures. Three speckled eggs lay bathed in the dim glow that filtered through the cracks above. They were beautiful to look at and seemed to pulse with power.

"Beautiful..." I breathed, my hand hovering yet never daring to touch.

"Monstrous," Conall spat, his eyes flashing with a dangerous gleam. "This is our chance. If we smash these now, no more beasts will darken our lands."

I turned to face him, my body instinctively positioning itself between Conall and the eggs. "No," I said firmly, the word a stone dropped into still waters. "There’s something about these eggs... a sense of purpose. We don’t know what hatching them might bring."

"Future threats," Conall’s voice rose, sharp as a blade. "We’ve seen what one beast can do. Imagine three."

"And what if we’re wrong?" I countered, steadfast despite the turmoil that churned within. "What if destroying them brings a worse fate upon us?"

"Sentiment won’t protect our people," Conall growled, stepping closer, his hands curling into fists.

"Nor will blind destruction," I shot back, my muscles coiling, ready to defend the defenseless. "I cannot allow you to do this, Conall."

He glared, his teeth bared in challenge. In my heart, I knew I would stand my ground for reasons I couldn’t fully comprehend. There was a connection that tied me to these silent, unborn lives.

"Then you stand against me," Conall declared, his voice echoing off the cavern walls, filled with the thunder of impending conflict.

"Against needless slaughter, always," I replied, my resolve hardening. "These eggs shall not be harmed while I draw breath."

It looked as though Conall might take that as a challenge rather than a threat, but we were interrupted.

The cavern quaked with the fury of an enraged tempest as she descended upon us. It was the mother dragon, scales gleaming like burnished shields in the dim light. Her roar thundered through my bones, a primal declaration of her lethal intent.

I stood firm, the heat of her breath singeing the air around me and searing my nostrils with the pungent scent of sulfur and ash. My heart hammered against my chest. Each beat was a drum sounding the march to an uncertain fate.

"Your Highness, move!" Conall’s urgent shout pierced the cacophony, but I was an immovable force rooted to the stone beneath my feet.

"Never," I breathed, my voice barely audible over the dragon’s fierce snarl. The weight of responsibility pressed down upon me with the knowledge that these eggs, these unborn lives, depended on my protection.

The dragon’s massive head loomed closer, jaws agape, revealing rows of dagger-like teeth. Its eyes, orbs of molten gold, locked onto mine with an intelligence that transcended the wild.

"Conall, we cannot do this," I said, turning my head slightly without breaking eye contact with the beast. "Look at her. She’s not just some mindless creature. She’s a mother, protecting her young."

"Damnation. This is no time for sentiment," Conall spat, his voice laced with frustration and fear.

"Sentiment?" I challenged, my gaze still locked with the dragon’s eyes. "No. It’s understanding, Conall. There’s a difference."

The dragon’s growl softened to a rumble. For a moment, just a heartbeat in time, it seemed as though she sensed my intention to shield her offspring from harm.

"Stand down, Conall," I commanded, my tone brooking no argument. "We won’t be the monsters here."

"Your Highness..." Conall began to protest, but I watched the reluctant shift in his stance, the creak of leather as he stepped back.

The standoff stretched a taut line between life and death, between destruction and the possibility of something greater, perhaps something beyond our understanding.

"Please," I whispered to the dragon, a word meant for her and the man behind me. "Trust me."

"By the gods," Conall exhaled behind me, disbelief coloring his tone. "You’ve doomed us all."