Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder

Chapter 1447 - 46 : Smoke and Destruction

*Rhys*

I was perched over the tactical console, my heart hammering against my chest as if it knew what my mind refused to accept. "Launch the drones," I commanded. My voice was a low growl of authority that belied my inner turmoil. The tech operator nodded, fingers dancing across the interface with practiced ease.

As the surveillance feeds blinked to life on the screens, a cold dread settled in my stomach. The valley was swarming with military chaos. Thermal imaging painted a stark picture with the glowing outlines of helicopters and troops moving with lethal purpose.

"By the moon’s grace," I muttered, fists clenching at the sight. My breaths came out in short, sharp puffs, misting in the cool air of the command center. This was no training exercise. This was an assault. It was an unprovoked, devastating strike against those who had done nothing but seek refuge.

"Get the flight team ready. Now." The urgency clawed up my throat, spurring me into action. I could feel my pulse and hear it in my ears. Saoirse was there.

"Rhys, what’s happening?" The second-in-command’s question was a distant echo as I stormed out of the room.

"An attack. We’re going in." Crews scrambled around me, prepping for immediate departure. The rotor blades of the chopper began to whirl, stirring the air into a frenzy

We lifted off, the ground falling away as we raced toward the valley. Every second stretched. I prayed Saoirse was alright.

"Maybe we can–" I started, hope flickering, but then we crested the final ridge and saw it.

Nothing prepared me for the desolation below. The once lush valley smoldered, choked by plumes of smoke that seared my eyes and clawed at my throat. Blackened ruins lay where majestic spires and homes had stood. The acrid smell of destruction filled the cabin, a scent no shifter would ever forget.

"Circle around!" I barked, searching desperately for any sign of life amidst the carnage. But there was only silence, a deafening, mocking quiet.

"Look for survivors," I said, though the order felt like a plea to the fates that seemed so indifferent to our plight. The reality hit like a physical blow, staggering me even as I stood firm.

"Gods above," someone whispered, but I barely heard them.

The haven was lost, and with it, perhaps, our last hope for peace.

We landed, the chopper’s blades still spinning as I leaped out onto the charred earth. The ground was warm beneath my boots, the residue of fire and fury. My team fanned out, their faces set in grim lines as they began to sift through the remnants.

"Over here!" Daxton’s voice cut through the hush that blanketed the destruction. We rushed to where he stood, his gaze fixed on something beneath a scorched slab of stone.

Together, we heaved the debris aside, revealing a pitiful sight. A clutch of dragon survivors, their scales dulled from the heat and smoke, lay among us, their breaths shallow and pained. But miraculous amidst the ruin, nestled in a protected nook, were eggs. They were untouched by flame, their shells iridescent and whole.

"Get the medics down here, now!" I ordered, my heart thrumming with urgent hope. "And carefully move those eggs. They’re all that’s left of the future."

As we worked to save who and what we could, my mind raged against the senselessness of the attack. The dragons had never been aggressors. They had lived peacefully, apart from human conflicts. Who would do this? Why?

And where was Saoirse?

"Rhys," one of my scouts called, nudging me toward a figure slumped against a fallen tree—our answer in human form. It was an enemy pilot, bloodied and dazed, but alive.

"Who sent you?" I demanded, kneeling before him, my voice low and dangerous.

His eyes, clouded with fear, met mine. "General... General Blight," he stammered. "He told us... told us the dragons were a threat. That they’d turn on us all."

"Threat?" I spat the word out like poison. "These creatures have done nothing but live in peace!"

But the pilot shook his head, lost in the lies he had been fed. "They were planning an attack," he insisted weakly. "That’s what the General said. He had reports. He showed us. They were planning an attack."

Lies. It was all lies spread by a man whose heart was filled with unwarranted hate. General Blight had turned soldiers into puppets, getting exactly what he wanted. Because of him, the valley was a graveyard.

"Restrain him," I growled to my team. "He’ll answer for this, as will Blight."

I looked to the sky above me, then the earth below me. My eyes scanned the charred landscape as I walked through the smoldering remains. The rescue teams moved through the rubble, their faces etched with sorrow and disbelief.

"General Blight," I spat. He had crafted lies. He had been deceptive to blind the King. My fists clenched at the thought of that name—Blight, the architect of this nightmare.

The pilot had said there were reports. It was surely false evidence. It was all shadows and mirrors to keep my father and me unsuspecting.

A bitter taste filled my mouth. It was the flavor of betrayal. Blight had played us all for fools. While we remained in the dark, while I fought for peace, he lit the fuse to war.

"Rhys!" someone called from a distance, urgency lacing their tone. I hastened my steps, finding one of our healers crouched beside a mound of rubble. Beneath her hands lay a dragon shifter, scales marred with ash and wounds. The creature’s breaths came in labored heaves, its massive chest rising and falling unevenly.

"Can you speak?" I asked, dropping to my knees beside the healer. The dragon’s amber eyes flickered open, locking onto mine with an intelligence that belied its feral form. "What happened here? Where is Saoirse?"

"Saoirse," the shifter gasped, "was magnificent. She fought... protected... saved so many..."

"Protected you? How?" Confusion laced my question, but deep down, I knew Saoirse’s heart. It was a heart too brave and fierce to stand idly by while others suffered.

"Shielded... the young... the eggs... with the staff’s magic." His voice was fading now, each word a ghost’s whisper. "She stood against them... against them all."

I pressed a hand to my heart with reverence. She had fought with everything she had to save lives and guard the future of a species not her own.

"Did she survive?" The words were a desperate plea.

The dragon shifter closed his eyes, a single tear tracing a path through the soot on his face. "I do not know. The militia... They came like a storm... overwhelming..."

"Rest now," I said, my throat tight with anguish I dared not show. "We will find her. We will find them all," I whispered, my voice thick with unspoken apologies. The healer nodded, her hands glowing with soft light as she worked to ease the dragon’s suffering.

As the healer continued her work, I stood, surveying the devastation. My hands clenched into fists, nails digging into my palms as I tried to anchor myself in the present. Every fiber of my being screamed to search for Saoirse, to find her amidst the chaos and assure myself she still lived.

But duty tethered me like a chain, and I could not abandon those who had survived the onslaught.

"Rhys," came a voice, strained with urgency. "We’ve got him."

"Got who?" My voice sounded distant, even to my ears.

"General Blight." The words acted as a spark to kindling, igniting a fire within me that raged against the cold grip of fear.

In moments, we were upon him. Blight stood bound by thick ropes, his eyes defiant even as defeat clung to him like a shroud. I could feel my wolf rising to the surface, a growl rumbling deep within my chest. It was a sound born of wrath and sorrow mingled.

"Where is she?" I demanded, my voice rough with barely contained fury.

"Who?" Blight feigned ignorance, a sneer twisting his lips.

"Saoirse!" Her name was a curse upon my tongue, each syllable a blade aimed at this man’s heart. "What have you done with her?"

"Ah, the little dragon tart?" Blight chuckled, a sound so maddeningly calm it tore at my composure like claws on flesh. "A casualty of war, perhaps?"

I was across the space that separated us in a heartbeat, my hands closing around his throat. The urge to squeeze and watch the life fade from his eyes as he had snuffed out so many others was nearly irresistible.

"Rhys!" The shout pierced through the haze of my anger. Strong arms pulled me back. "He’s not worth it. We need answers, and he may be the only one who has them."

"Let me go!" I struggled against the restraint, every muscle tense with the need to exact vengeance.

"Rhys, look at me." The voice was stern now, commanding. I turned to find eyes filled with understanding staring back at me. "This will not bring her back. We need him alive for answers and justice."

Justice... The word hung between us, heavy with meaning. With a shuddering breath, I stepped back, releasing Blight from my grasp. He coughed, rubbing at his neck, but his gaze never left mine, still taunting me.

"Find anything?" I asked, turning away from the object of my hatred, focusing instead on the task at hand.

"Nothing yet. We’ll keep searching," came the reply, unwavering in its resolve.

"Keep me informed," I said, my voice hollow.

As I walked away, the image of Saoirse wielding the dragon staff, fierce and relentless against an overwhelming force, filled my mind. Wherever she was, whatever had befallen her, I made a silent vow. I would find her. No matter what it took, I would bring her home.

And she was never leaving my side again.

"Rhys," a voice called from behind.

I turned to face one of my flight team members, seeing the reflection of my fear etched in his eyes. "Report," I commanded, my voice steady despite the storm of emotions I fought to contain.

"Scouts report movement at the northern ridge. It seems like more troops are mobilizing," he said, his words punctuated by the distant rumble of the earth beneath boots and machinery.

"More?" My heart sank. "Blight’s forces?"

"Unclear, but we’re on high alert."

The tension was a living thing, wrapping its icy fingers around my chest, squeezing until it felt like I couldn’t breathe. It wasn’t just an attack. It was the precursor to something much larger, something that threatened to unravel everything.

"Prepare the defenses," I instructed, my mind racing with strategies and countermeasures. "We can’t let them advance further."

"Understood." He nodded abruptly before turning to relay orders.

General Blight may have been captured, but the seeds of discord he planted were germinating. We needed to stop this before it got out of control.

"Rhys." Another member of my team approached, her brow knotted with concern. "What’s our next move? We can’t fight this alone."

"We won’t have to," I replied, the weight of leadership pressing down on me like the mountains upon the valley. "Send word to my father and the council. Tell them we must unite against this new enemy. Tell them... Tell them it’s time to stand together or fall divided."

"Right away," she said, determination firming her jaw as she hurried off.

"May the ancestors guide us," I whispered to the winds. "Let Saoirse be safe."