Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder-Chapter 1609 - 51 : A Woman Among the Stars

*Briella*

I sometimes felt like I could find answers in the sky.

I kicked my feet lightly, letting them sway, my bare toes brushing the grass beneath the marble bench I was sitting on. This little garden had become something of a sanctuary, a sacred place where I could just let my thoughts run wild.

I stared up at the night sky, feeling as if it was watching me and had something to tell me.

“Please, if you have some answers, I would love to hear them,” I murmured quietly.

I watched the sky carefully, paying attention to each twinkle of the stars, and the beams of moonlight that fell down.

When my parents were getting ready to leave Embervale to return to the Light Realm, I felt a sense of panic. They hugged me fiercely. I could feel desperation well up inside of me. I wasn’t ready for them to leave. I basked in their comfort, knowing that just for that moment, I could be a little girl again with no responsibilities and no worries.

I had to hold back tears when my father wrapped his strong arms around me and called me his brave little warrior. A single droplet leaked out when my mother’s gentle embrace engulfed me.

“You truly are the kindest and bravest of us all, Briella,” she had murmured. “Never forget that.”

I was proud of myself for smiling at them both before they disappeared through the portal.

As I sat alone in the garden just outside the home I shared with Kai, I felt extremely lost. I didn’t know where to go from there, but I did know I was going to stop Tian from harming any of my loved ones.

I still had a nagging little voice in my head whispering, “But what if you fail?” There was no question where my loyalties lay but that also meant more people counting on me.

I couldn’t live with myself if I failed them.

I lifted my head when I heard sure footsteps approaching.

“Aren’t you cold sitting out here?” Kryzen asked as he approached. The corner of his mouth was drawn down in a disapproving frown as he took in the lightweight training clothes I was wearing despite the nippy nighttime air.

“It’s not that cold,” I lied, suppressing a shiver. In truth, the bitter cold was strangely comforting to me. It made me feel alive. I raised an eyebrow at my mate. “You aren’t dressed particularly warm either, Stormfall.”

The corner of his mouth quirked up at my use of his last name. He moved to sit down beside me. I shifted to the side to give him room to do so. I had to resist another shiver when his warm arm brushed against my frigid one. He tsked before wrapping an arm around my shoulders and pressing me into his side.

“What are you doing out here by yourself?” he asked finally, running his hand up and down the length of my arm to warm me up. “I thought I would find you training out here. Instead, you’re trying to turn into a popsicle.”

I just rolled my eyes at the exaggeration. I bit my lower lip, hesitating for a moment before I decided I might as well tell him. “I’m just thinking about tomorrow.”

Kryzen sighed and tightened his hold on me. The next day, we were going to leave the valley to seek out the land shrouded in shadows. We didn’t know where to start, but we knew we wouldn’t get any closer to the answer by staying in the valley.

Kryzen dropped his arm from around my shoulder and moved so he was facing me. He gripped my hands in his tightly, running his thumbs over the backs of my knuckles. “You don’t have to worry,” he said gently. “For now, all we can do is just take things one step at a time. We don’t even know where we’re going or how to find this mysterious place.”

I flinched at the reminder. “I think that’s where a lot of this anxiety is coming from,” I said a little dryly. “I feel like I’m trying to shoot an arrow in the dark here.”

“It’s going to be fine,” Kryzen told me firmly. “We’re going to figure this out together. Remember that we’re a team of strategists. Tian won’t be able to hide for long.”

That made me feel a little better. There was a reason Kryzen was going to be the top general of Egoren someday. He wasn’t just strong and a capable fighter. He was also extraordinarily sharp and meticulous.

I looked down at our joined hands. “I still feel like they’ve recruited the wrong person to go,” I said. “Shouldn’t they be sending one of the other priests with more experience? I’ve only been here for a year, yet I feel like everyone expects me to be this great hero of the Embervale.”

“You already are a hero,” Kryzen reminded me. I felt my cheeks heat when he raised a hand to gently caress the side of my face, his fingers warm against my skin. “Just trust that they are sending you because they see what I see.”

I almost felt too shy to ask. “What do you see?”

My eyes widened as he leaned in and pressed his lips to mine. When he pulled away, his gray eyes were impossibly dark and intense. “I see a brave and passionate woman who would do literally anything for her people. She can be reckless and stubborn at times, but it’s partly why I fell in love with her.”

I felt my blood burn beneath my skin. My breathing hitched. I was still getting used to hearing Kryzen say that he loved me. Although, ever since we became mates, he seemed to use any opportunity he could to say it.

“I love you too,” I told him, unused to saying the words as well, even though they were the one thing I was extremely certain about at the moment.

Kryzen kissed me again, his warm lips lingering on mine before he pulled away and tucked some stray strands of hair away from my face. “There’s something I wanted to talk to you about concerning our journey,” he said.

My eyebrows lifted. “What is it?” My heart thudded, fearing that something was wrong.

Kryzen seemed to hesitate for a moment. “I think we should bring a few others with us.”

My heart stuttered to a stop for a second. “No,” I said firmly.

Kryzen clenched his jaw. “Why not?”

“I don’t really know,” I admitted. “It’s just a feeling I have, Kryzen. I don’t think we should take anyone else with us. We’ll move quicker that way, and we don’t even know what we’re going to face out there.”

“That’s exactly my point,” Kryzen argued, his hands tightening over mine. “Please, Briella. It would make me feel a lot better. I don’t know if I can protect you on my own with Tian still out there somewhere. I need to ensure that you’re safe.”

I frowned at the tortured look that suddenly crossed his features. I pulled my hands away from his so I could put them over his, realizing it was my turn to reassure him. “I know you can protect me on your own,” I told him firmly. “I never doubted that and never will. I trust you with everything I am, Kryzen.”

Kryzen looked up, his gray eyes wide. Finally, he nodded and took me in his arms, pressing me tightly against his chest. I squealed when he suddenly stood up with me in his arms.

“What are you doing?” I laughed, kicking a bit.

“I’m taking you to bed,” he said, walking toward the house. “You need your rest. You have a big day tomorrow.”

Kryzen was extremely attentive toward me. Once we were both dressed for bed, he cradled me against his chest, his back against the padded headboard. He kissed along the side of my neck and even rubbed my tense shoulders.

I knew he was worried about me, and I appreciated it immensely. “I’m alright now,” I told him. “I know that as long as we’re together, we’re going to be alright.”

Kryzen’s fingers found the skin of my cheek again. He stroked my cheekbone gently. “Remember what your mother said,” he urged me. “Our bond, our love for one another, is our strongest weapon.”

I nodded, not bothering to correct him that she had said my weapon, not ours. What scared me about her words was that without even meaning to, my mother had implied that I would be the one wielding it without Kryzen’s help.

Even though Kryzen was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, I couldn’t sleep. I lay awake, tossing and turning beside my mate. I was trying not to move so much so that I wouldn’t wake him up. Eventually, I could stand it no longer and quietly slipped out of bed, considering it a miracle that Kryzen didn’t even stir.

My brain felt cramped and full. I needed to get far away. I found myself running, not knowing where I was going. I just needed to get away. I needed to get the pressure out of my chest.

I was out of breath by the time I stopped. I looked around the field, breathing deeply. I shouldn’t have been surprised that I ended up back there. I was often in this spot when I needed to clear my head. This was probably the most desperate I felt in terms of needing time away to think.

This proved to be exactly what I needed. As soon as my feet touched the soft Embervalean grass, I felt a sense of calm flow through me. I kicked my shoes off, needing to feel the dirt and ground against my skin.

As if the clouds were parting, I could see a little more of the path ahead. I shut my eyes, realizing that I needed to trust my instincts. They were there for a reason. I was there for a reason.

Kryzen and I were meant to go on this journey alone. We were going to encounter others, and it would serve us better if it was just the two of us.

I felt that in my heart. I took another deep breath in, feeling at peace with my choice.

If I was going to help my people, I needed to listen to Embervale. It had already taken me far. I couldn’t explain it, but I needed to be in this realm. I felt like I was a part of it. I was going to protect it with everything I was.

I opened my eyes and tilted my head back so I could look up at the stars.

I gasped quietly at what I saw.

I had to blink a couple of times to ensure I wasn’t seeing things, even though I knew in my heart that I wasn’t.

The shape of a beautiful woman was in the stars. Even though her face was drawn by the constellations, I knew immediately who she was.

“Grandmother,” I murmured.

I had never met my maternal grandmother, Amara, but her beauty and overwhelming kindness were often described to me as unlike any other in existence. Amara was quite literally twinkling as she gazed down at me from the night sky. I felt a warmth and acceptance as I stared up at her.

I felt tears fill my eyes as her arms extended toward me. Her face was soft and warm, and her glittering eyes were tender. It hit me so suddenly that I was sobbing as I nodded, understanding completely what she was trying to tell me.

I was on the right path. She was proud of me and would be with me during my entire journey and beyond.