Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder-Chapter 1638 - 80 : Significant Commitment

*Kryzen*

I had to resist the urge to roll my eyes as Roy and I followed after a dozen guys we had accompanied into the woods.

We had been gone for more than half the day, searching the perimeter of the Ethereal Grove boundary for any sign of the missing companions. We had a few of the present companions with us. I had to admit that it was comforting to have the creatures traveling alongside us. A couple of them were large and muscular, looking like they could take on smaller threats.

I stared at the creature closest to me, noting its scaly body and creepily human-like eyes. It held a likeness to the creatures we had to fight off in Astral Haven. This one did appear to be domesticated, however. It was walking next to its human, a lanky young guy with dark hair. The two fell into step together, almost walking perfectly in sync.

I thought about what Briella said about the people and animals in this community having a special tether-like bond. She had made it seem like something enchanted and otherworldly. It appeared that she was right. Alpha Thorne’s mood seemed to be reflected in his companion. I recalled the way the large, furry animal growled as Alpha Thorne became angered by our words.

This guy and his companion seemed connected. They moved as if magnets were attached to them. When one moved, the other adjusted to the other’s movements. It was strange but also a bit mesmerizing to watch.

“Hey,” I said to the lanky guy.

He turned, looking surprised that I was talking to him. “Yes?” he asked, one dark eyebrow rising quizzically.

I gestured to the guy’s companion. Its dark eyes turned to focus on me. I thought it looked curious as well. “I was just wondering how long you’ve had your companion,” I said.

I could feel Roy’s questioning gaze on my profile, the gears turning as he processed my words and actions.

The guy’s eyebrows rose in shock, but he answered the question, sounding almost wistful as he gazed up at his companion. “I’ve been tied to him since I was thirteen.”

“Do all of you get your companion around that age typically?” Roy asked curiously.

The guy shook his head. “No, it’s not really a matter of age. It is more about personal maturity than the physical age. You have to prove to your parents and the community that you are ready to have a companion.”

“How does someone prove that they are ready?” I wondered aloud.

The guy reached up to pat his companion’s side. “It’s quite the process, really,” he said. “Essentially, it’s about demonstrating responsibility and maturity. We each have to go through a series of trials that test our character and the bond between us and our potential companions. It could take weeks, or even months to go through the entire process.”

Roy nodded thoughtfully, his interest piqued. “That sounds like a significant commitment.”

The guy grinned. “It is but entirely worth it,” he said earnestly. “Once you have bonded with a companion, nothing can take it away, and you would die for them. They would do the same for you.”

I glanced up at the furry companion, at its intense gaze and strong build. I didn’t doubt the guy’s words.

Roy and I fell back a bit to take up the rear, partially to keep watch at the group’s back but also so that our conversation couldn’t be heard.

I looked around cautiously, not able to shake the feeling that we were being watched. “I feel like we should say something to these guys,” I said to Roy.

My friend gave me a sharp look. “Like what?” he asked finally.

I shrugged, feeling frustrated that we were on this little excursion and it would likely be for nothing. “Maybe we could convince them to fight with us,” I said, sounding more confident about that working than I felt. I lowered my voice to a near whisper. “We can’t keep letting them think that their companions are coming back.”

Roy stiffened. “We can’t blame them for being hopeful,” he said finally, his voice low. “It is likely what keeps them going forward.”

I knew he was right, but it didn’t feel right to let these people stay in the dark. I understood that we did our best in terms of convincing them, but it still felt like there was something else we could do.

Briella clearly felt the same. It was why she had refused to leave after our second meeting with Alpha Thorne and Luna Arboria. She was waiting for something. There was something else we were supposed to be doing.

For some reason, I highly doubted that that thing was wandering around in the woods, searching for companions that just weren’t going to show up.

Almost as soon as that thought crossed my mind, a sharp cry filled the air around us. One of the men called out right as an animal came limping through the trees. It stood on four paws and was just a little smaller than the lanky guy’s companion.

One of the guys sprinted toward it. “Tyro!” he yelled, wrapping his arms around the animal’s neck. “I can’t believe you’re actually back. I was so worried. You’re hurt!”

Roy and I rushed forward, both relaxing when we saw that the creature’s eyes were brown, not the blood red of a possessed creature. Still, it was a shock to see one of the companions actually return.

“Can you communicate with him?” I asked at once. “Maybe you can figure out what your companion has been through.”

That would have been convenient if that was the case. Maybe these people wouldn’t listen to us, but they would definitely take their companions seriously.

The guy shook his head, not looking at me as he grabbed the animal’s injured paw. “We can only feel one another’s emotions,” he said but clearly wasn’t really looking at me. He looked at one of his buddies. “I have bandages in my bag. Get them for me, will you?”

His friend obeyed. Together, they started to mend the companion’s injured foot. I wondered briefly if the guy was a healer.

“Help!”

We all whirled around as another man burst from the trees, his eyes wild. My eyes narrowed, and I straightened when his gaze met mine and Roy’s.

“What’s happened?” I demanded as soon as the guy was near enough.

The guy looked around wildly at the scene, hesitating briefly.

“Out with it!” Roy barked.

“One of our companions returned,” the guy said. “But something is terribly wrong with him. He’s attacking Miss Black and the other woman.”

“Alyna!” Roy cried out.

We didn’t waste another second and sprinted back toward the grove. I felt my body tremble with rage right before I shifted into my wolf form. I saw that Roy had done the same. We tore through the trees. The only sound was of our massive paws slamming into the dirt.

My heart pounded ferociously. All I could think about was if Briella was harmed, every living and breathing thing that got in my way was going to suffer at my hands. I allowed my wolf to take over completely as we raced along. I needed to give in to my instincts to rush to my mate and ensure that she was safe.

We had no trouble finding them. I felt so attuned to Briella now. I swore I could pick up her heartbeat and scent from several miles away. There was nowhere she could go where I couldn’t find her. There was nothing that could separate us.

I froze briefly when I saw her, horror striking through me as I watched my tiny mate and my sister face off against a huge beast. It was an ugly, dark creature with sharp teeth and a large, thick body covered in course fur.

What also gave me a brief pause was that Briella was holding a wooden stick, not her dagger. She was much more defenseless without the Embervalean weapon. What the hell was she thinking?

I snarled and started to dash forward. Briella looked up briefly, her eyes widening when she saw me. “Kryzen, Roy, don’t!”

I ignored her. There was no way that I was going to let her be harmed when she was clearly defenseless.

The beast lunged at her. Briella focused back on it in time to duck out of the way and smack it in the nose with the stick, causing it to yelp before snarling viciously at her, swiping at my mate with its massive paw. Briella whacked it one more time before turning the stick at me.

I let out a barking snarl of my own, but I finally understood why she was fighting this way. She clearly didn’t want to cause the beast any real harm. She knew that if we did so, it would only make these people distrust us even more.

Not that that even mattered at this point. The only thing that mattered was making sure that Briella was safe. If I had to kill one of the companions to do that, then so be it.

I growled low and tried to sidestep Briella so that I could get to the beast, but Briella held her ground, even swinging the stick at me in warning. It distracted her from the real enemy, and she had to duck and roll to get away from it before it could whack her with its paw. She was so petite that one swipe of its paw would have sent her flying.

My ears perked when a loud sound cut through the air. Alyna jumped out of nowhere and let out a piercing battle cry, also wielding a large stick as she charged toward the fray. The beast focused on her and charged at her. My stomach dropped. I tried to race to my sister, but Roy beat me to her, grabbing the back of her shirt in his teeth and sprinting off to get her to safety.

That gave me an idea. I raced to Briella and took the back of her shirt in my teeth, pulling her away from the beast. She kicked and screamed at me, but she was no match for me in this form. I carried her to the side and plopped her down, turning to prepare to murder the beast that dare threatened her.

Thankfully, it appeared a bit disoriented from when Briella whacked it. It was looking around, the blood-red in its eyes seeming to blind it slightly as it looked around for us. It was still snarling fiercely. I started toward it and grunted when something wrapped around my neck.

“Stop, Krzyen!” Briella screamed at me.

The sound was enough to make the beast whirl its massive head toward us.