Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder-Chapter 1648 - 90 : Goofy but Mighty

*Kryzen*

I had never seen such improvement before in such a short amount of time.

I was somehow able to keep the pride beam off my face as I strode through the soldiers sparring with one another. Roy and I had again ordered them to get into pairs and spar with each other.

Even though I had been carefully and diligently tracking their progress, I hadn’t been prepared for the ferocity and precision they exhibited as they practiced.

The crisp afternoon air was filled with grunts and good-natured threats and insults. Each soldier moved with a fluidity that spoke volumes about the hours of training they had endured over the past few weeks. As fists flew, the satisfying sound of thuds met my ears as they followed through with well-practiced maneuvers.

It was a beautiful sight as well. There was a mix of men and women from each community we visited, and they practiced with one another, not just keeping to their own pack group. It was clear that deep friendships had been formed between packs, which shouldn’t have been that shocking since they had been bonding over their shared dedication toward protecting their realm.

After helping a few soldiers make some minor adjustments in their form, I wandered back to the front so I could observe the group as a whole. All of them were extremely focused and sure to protect their weak points. It was astounding how quickly they learned and picked up these basic combat techniques.

“They’re extraordinary, aren’t they?” Roy asked, coming to stand next to me, his blue eyes trained on the sparrers.

“They are,” I agreed. “I’ve trained soldiers in the past but have never seen such vast improvement over such a short amount of time.”

Roy nodded. “They certainly aren’t lacking in motivation,” he pointed out.

It was true. These soldiers had a lot to lose if they didn’t learn fast. A sense of pride swelled in me as I thought about the fact that it was under our guidance and instruction that they improved so quickly. I knew they would fight well when the time came.

I also couldn’t help but wonder if, despite the amazing progress they had shown, it would be enough to defeat Tian and his dark army.

I shook the thought away. Our soldiers were already strong, and we were still a full week away from when we planned to invade the land of shadows. We would only get stronger in that time. I would make sure of it.

We had no way of knowing if we would be enough, but I knew we were going to put up one hell of a fight.

My head whipped around when a strange but familiar whirring sound cut through the noise from our sparring.

Roy and I shared a startled look. That was the sound of a portal forming.

I looked over the sea of soldiers and saw Briella striding bravely toward the blue light that was quickly growing right where the sand met the ocean. Roy and I hurried over to her. I grabbed her arm, pulling her behind me protectively.

My grip on Briella tightened when the portal brightened and a couple dozen men and women came filing through, dressed in dark military uniforms. I relaxed when I recognized them as Drogomor soldiers.

I could feel Briella’s excitement. She began to wiggle impatiently in my hold. With a chuckle and a quick kiss to the top of her head, I let her go just as the future Alpha of Drogomor strode through the portal.

Kellan Black had a large, imposing figure that essentially commanded attention. He had a familiar fire in his eyes as he emerged from the portal, searching the terrain as if going into battle. His midnight blue uniform was a blend of traditional Drogomor design and military function.

It wasn’t just the insignias of rank and honor that marked him as the Alpha, even to those who didn’t know him. It was clear just by his quiet confidence and unwavering resolve that he was a man of power and rank.

All that callousness melted away when Briella went sprinting toward him.

I watched the future Alpha’s stern demeanor completely shift when he spotted his sister. His bright green eyes glinted before warming. A lopsided, almost goofy grin broke out across his face. He opened his arms just as Briella dove into them.

Kellan grabbed his sister up in a huge bear bug, lifting her off the ground.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” I heard Briella say, her voice thick with emotion.

“Shh, it’s alright, Bri,” Kellan said, frowning in concern as he pulled away and brushed a tear from his sister’s cheek. “Aww, don’t cry. Your awesome brother is here.”

Briella laughed and swatted his arm, sounding elated and relieved. “My awesome brother is late,” she quipped good-naturedly.

Kellan shrugged sheepishly before he wrapped a massive arm around Briella’s neck, rubbing his knuckles against her temple.

I shook my head in amusement before walking up to the two siblings. Kellan was laughing madly now as his sister struggled against him. He grinned when he noticed me standing there and only then did he let Briella go.

Kellan reached out to shake my hand and give me a slap on the back. “How’s it going?” he asked as if we were at some kind of party. He nudged Briella playfully. “You’ve been able to keep this one out of trouble it seems.”

“I try,” I joked. “Glad you finally made it. We were beginning to wonder if you were showing up at all.”

Kellan chuckled. “Not show up and miss my baby sister’s big break?” he asked, his jaw dropping in mock horror. “Not a chance.”

Briella rolled her eyes at her brother. “Have you again forgotten that I’m older than you, Kellan?” she asked rhetorically.

Kellan scoffed and reached out to ruffle her hair. “By one measly year,” he said with a wink. “I believe you were only bigger than me for like three years. Then I quickly became your big brother, Little Sister.”

We all laughed. I put an arm around Briella’s shoulders and kissed her temple, pleased when she giggled. She was visibly more relaxed and at ease now that her brother and the future Alpha of Drogomor was there.

I looked over at the new soldiers Kellan had brought with him. “How many soldiers have you brought with you?” I asked, getting back to business.

Kellan didn’t miss a beat as he straightened, his expression smoothing out into a serious one. “Just over a couple of dozen,” he said. “I would have brought more, but my father and I didn’t want to leave Drogomor without defenses.”

I nodded in understanding. I could only imagine how difficult of a decision that had been to make. “We will still be significantly outnumbered, even with the soldiers you’ve supplied us with,” I said gravely. “Still, this has tipped the odds more in our favor.”

I was surprised when Kellan grinned again, shrugging his massive shoulders. “Well, what fun would that be if we weren’t outnumbered?”

I even relaxed slightly at that, sending him a smirk in camaraderie. “An excellent point well made.”

Kellan Black was a goof, but he was also a fearless warrior and future Alpha. I could already tell that these soldiers had been well-trained under his guidance and ferocity.

Things were looking up.

A couple of hours later, I stood next to Kellan in front of a large map of the shadow lands. The entire operation was standing in front of us, waiting expectantly as we prepared to start this huge strategy meeting.

“For you Drogomor soldiers who don’t know me,” I began, “my name is Kryzen Stormfall. Briella, Kellan, and I will be leading you all into battle in a week. I want to thank you all for being here and agreeing to fight alongside us to save the Embervale Realm.”

Judging from the newcomers’ faces, I was under the impression that they all knew of me. It made sense since I spent a lot of summers in Drogomor as a child.

Briella and Roy were sitting off to the side but still on the raised platform with us since they were both going to join us in leading our troops forward.

I took a breath and continued, leveling our group with a serious look. “We have spies sneaking into the shadow land. They’ve informed us that the possessed beings seem less active during the day, particularly when the sun is at its highest. Naturally, that is when we are going to want to strike.”

“Drogomor soldiers will be primarily part of the initial diversion,” Kellan added, nodding to his group of troops. “Our objective is to keep the majority of these demon shadows occupied while Kryzen and Briella find their leader, Tian.”

I didn’t miss the way that Kellan’s jaw clenched when he mentioned Briella’s name. We explained before this meeting that Briella and I needed to face Tian alone. With our abilities, we had the best chance of taking him down and ending this.

Kellan gave me a look. “Although, if you need a couple of my men to accompany you to Tian’s bunker, they would be more than willing.”

I opened my mouth to object, but it was Briella who did so, standing up from her seat and facing her brother. “Anyone who accompanies Kryzen and I to Tian will only end up being a distraction to us,” she said firmly and clearly. “Kryzen and I have been training privately to put a stop to Tian. It will require a huge amount of stealth and concentration.”

Kellan looked at her unhappily but nodded, unable to argue against that logic. “Then I believe it would be best if we strike earlier in the morning, doing our best to time it so that the sun is at its highest when you make it to Tian’s bunker.

I nodded in complete agreement. “Yes, I believe that would be best.”

“He’s just worried about me,” Briella soothed me later that night when we were getting ready for bed. Her voice was hushed since we were just in our thin tent.

“But maybe he’s right,” I argued back, trying to keep my voice as low as hers and failing.

Briella just shook her head. “You know why we can’t take anyone else,” Briella said. “I won’t risk other people.”

I put my hand over hers, squeezing it tightly. “That should not be your concern,” I told her firmly. “These soldiers know exactly what they’ve signed up for. They know that it’s possible they might not survive the battle. If it will raise our chances of defeating Tian, we should take a team with us.”

I left out that I wasn’t sure if I could protect Briella all on my own. I wanted a few other men to be there to watch over her.

We were sitting together on our sleeping mats. Briella moved so that she was on her knees in front of me. She took both of my hands in hers, gripping them firmly. Her green eyes were glinting even with the only light coming from the small lantern on the floor.

“We have a plan,” she reminded me. “Let’s trust ourselves to make the right decision. We’re doing the right thing. I know it.”

There was no arguing with Briella once she got like this. I couldn’t be mad about it, not when she was looking up at me with such fierce determination in those gorgeous green eyes.

I leaned in to kiss her, letting my lips linger over hers. “I know,” I said when we pulled away. “We’ll do what’s right together.”