Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder

Chapter 1469 - 68 : Failure Is Not an Option

*Rhys*

The moment the scouts burst through the thicket into Cedar Grove, I knew. Their faces were ashen, and their eyes were wide with a tale yet to be told, but I knew. Saoirse was in peril.

"Prince Rhys," one of the scouts panted, bending over with hands on his knees. "We’ve seen her, Lady Saoirse. She’s being taken to Blackstone."

My heart hammered against my chest, a wild drumbeat that urged action. Hunters Glen was her home. Why would they let her be taken? It didn’t make sense unless...

"Escorted?" My voice was a growl, words barely squeezing past the fangs of worry biting at my throat.

"By a cadre of Aleric’s men," he confirmed, standing upright now. His breaths were slowing, but his gaze never left mine.

"Ready the warriors," I commanded, turning on my heel. My mind was a tempest as thoughts tossed about. Above it all rose a singular determination. I had to reach her.

"Rhys, the borders will be watched," a voice cautioned from behind me.

I didn’t need to look back to recognize the voice of my second-in-command or the concern that laced his words. "Then we’ll move like shadows," I declared without breaking stride.

"Your Highness, it’s nearly nightfall," another protested.

"Then the darkness is our ally," I shot back.

As the last light of day kissed the horizon, I led my pack through dense woods. Every snap of a twig underfoot and every rustling leaf in the breeze felt like an echo of Saoirse’s steps moving farther away. The urgency clawed at my insides, and I pushed us faster.

"Rhys, she’s strong," murmured a warrior beside me. "She won’t bow easily to Aleric."

"Strength won’t spare her from a forced union," I answered sharply, my voice barely above a whisper. Visions of her face, fierce and unyielding, flashed before my eyes, fuelling my resolve.

"Stay alert," I cautioned as we approached the border. The murky night enveloped us, the moon a sliver of silver peeking through the clouds.

"Through here," I instructed, indicating a narrow path masked by thickets and shadow. We threaded through the natural maze, silent as the grave, blending with the night.

"Your Highness, there." One of my warriors pointed ahead where the outline of the Blackstone fortress loomed like a dark sentinel against the starlit sky.

"Quickly now," I hissed, my pulse thundering in my ears. We moved with renewed urgency, the image of Saoirse, proud and indomitable, beckoning me onward.

We pressed on, the thud of our paws a steady drumbeat against the soft earth. I could almost hear Saoirse’s voice in the wind.

My mind raced with strategies and contingencies, each more desperate than the last. Could we outmaneuver Aleric’s forces? Would a diversion at the southern gate or an ambush from the shadows work?

Time was slipping through my fingers like sand and, with it, the chance to preserve Saoirse’s will.

"Prince Rhys," came the hushed call from Daxton. His eyes were bright with concern as he gestured ahead, where a glint of scales shimmered in the moonlight. "Dragons."

I halted, my heart hammering against my ribs. Dragons were there. We crouched low, observant, as a figure emerged from the darkness. It was Axureon, his human form cloaked, yet the unmistakable aura of ancient power clung to him like a mantle.

"Axureon," I greeted him, my voice betraying none of my surprise. The night seemed to still around us.

"Rhys Crimson," he acknowledged with a nod, his golden eyes reflecting the stars. "Fate is cruel tonight."

"Your flight from Blackstone lands..." I began, unable to mask the urgency in my tone. "Is Saoirse–" I started, but he raised a hand, halting my words.

"Your concern for Lady Saoirse is understandable. But the wheels of a greater plan are turning, one that imprisons both her and my lost kin." Axureon’s gaze pierced through the shadows, solemn and resolute.

"Then we stand together. Tell me how to free her," I urged, the desperation clear in my plea.

"Patience, prince." His assurance was firm, but it provided little comfort. Every moment wasted was a step closer to Saoirse’s plight.

I stormed toward the figure of Axureon, my boots thudding on the soft earth with the weight of my fury. The dragon, cloaked in his human guise, stood tall and unfazed by my rapidly approaching form.

"Explain yourself," I snarled, my voice rough as gravel. "Why is Saoirse not under your protection? You promised she would be safe. She has risked everything to protect your kind, and this is how you repay her?"

Axureon’s eyes, ancient pools of molten gold, met mine without flinching. "Prince Rhys," he began, his voice betraying a sliver of regret, "there are factors at play beyond your understanding. Aleric has dragons, chained for generations and bent to their will. I will not risk my kin."

"Chains?" My brow furrowed, anger momentarily sidelined by confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Captives," Axureon clarified, a growl rumbling deep within his chest. "Aleric holds them hostage—my kin, dragon shifters who once soared the skies. He uses them to leverage both Saoirse and myself."

"By the gods," I muttered, the revelation hitting me like a thunderbolt. "How could this be?"

"His cunning runs deeper than the darkest cavern," Axureon admitted with his usual stoicism cracking. "It pained me greatly, but I had to withdraw to safeguard those whose minds are ensnared. My duty lies first with the lives under threat of extinction."

My hands clenched into fists, nails digging into my palms. "And what of Saoirse?" I demanded. "Does her fate mean so little?"

"Never," the dragon asserted fiercely. "Her spirit and defiance are sparks that may ignite change. But know this, Rhys Crimson. Once I have ensured the safety of my people, I shall unleash such vengeance upon Blackstone that even stone will tremble. It is my vow.

I stared into Axureon’s unwavering gaze and found truth there. With a nod, I swallowed the lump in my throat. "We must act swiftly then. I cannot... I will not allow her to be chained to that beast."

"Patience, young Alpha," Axureon advised. "The hour of reckoning will come. We must strike with precision, not haste."

“There is no time. He means to wed and control her. I cannot wait.”

"Lead your pack onward," Axureon instructed, his voice a low rumble. "Opportunity may yet arise with dawn’s light."

"Let’s move," I whispered to my warriors as Axureon and his dragons continued their retreat, my resolve hardening like forged steel.

The fortress awaited, its shadowy spires a challenge etched against the sky. And I intended to answer it.

I couldn’t stop seeing Saoirse in chains alongside the dragons. Each thought propelled me forward, urging my legs to push harder against the ground. My wolf howled within, echoing my outrage and fear for Saoirse.

"Keep up!" I barked over my shoulder at my men, their forms shadows flitting among the trees behind me.

"Your Highness, we should conserve strength," one of my men called out, his voice strained from the relentless pace.

I could not and would not. "We rest when Saoirse is safe," I growled back, my words sharp as flint. Saoirse’s image, vibrant and fierce, blazed in my mind, fueling every stride. In the quiet between breaths, I whispered a prayer to the Moon Goddess, asking for strength, speed, and the chance to reach Saoirse before it was too late.

Blackstone’s stronghold loomed ahead. It was a colossus wrought of dark stone and foreboding intent. I skidded to a halt, my boots digging into the earth, and the rest of my party fanned out beside me.

"By the Goddess," I breathed, taking in the sight. Rings of heavily armed warriors moved with deadly purpose, their armor glinting in the growing light. Archers patrolled the battlements, their eyes scanning the horizon and their bows ready to unleash death upon any foolish enough to approach.

"Barricades, lookouts, traps... They’ve left no stone unturned," one of my guards observed, his voice low and laced with unease.

"An impenetrable fortification," another added grimly. Even my elite forces seemed dwarfed by the sheer scale of Blackstone’s defenses.

But there was no turning back, not when Saoirse’s freedom, her very soul, was at stake. My fists clenched at my sides, nails biting into my flesh as if they could draw blood from the very stones that stood between us.

"Impermeable or not, we will find a way," I declared, my resolve steeling. "For Saoirse, we must."

A murmur of agreement rippled through my men, their loyalty unwavering even in the face of daunting odds.

"I will go first, alone. Prepare yourselves," I commanded. "We move at my signal."

With the night cloaking my movements, I slipped through the shadows, my heart a thunderous drum in my chest. The rough fabric of the cloak scratched against my skin as I edged closer to the wedding hall, every sense strained for the telltale signs of danger.

"Who goes there?" A voice sliced through the silence. Before I could react, rough hands seized me, yanking the cloak from my head. I had been foolish to think I could infiltrate the stronghold so easily.

"An intruder!" another guard barked, his grip iron on my arm.

"Bring him," commanded a third with a sneer, his eyes gleaming with malice.

They dragged me through winding corridors, my mind racing with the image of Saoirse trapped in this stone labyrinth. The thought of her being bound to Aleric by forces beyond her control fueled my struggle against the guards’ vice-like grips.

We burst into the grand hall where Alpha Aleric stood like a dark monument, power emanating from his towering frame. His eyes locked onto mine, and a cruel smile curled his lips.

"Rhys Crimson," he said, his voice dripping with disdain. "How unexpected."

"Let her go, Aleric," I spat, my voice laced with venom. "This is not the way to claim a queen."

"Silence him," Aleric ordered, turning away with disinterest as if I were nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

A fist collided with my stomach, forcing the air from my lungs in a painful rush. I crumpled to the floor, gasping.

It was then she entered. She was a vision in white, an ethereal beauty that stilled the very air around us. Saoirse’s presence filled the room, her grace and strength undiminished even in the face of such a dire fate.

The sight of her struck me like a physical blow, robbing me of breath, thought, and everything but the piercing realization of what I had lost and might never regain.

She looked at me, her eyes wide with shock and something else. It was something that kindled a flicker of hope within my battered spirit. Despite the chaos in my heart, I managed a small nod, a silent promise that I would not let this be the end of our story.