Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder-Chapter 1696 - 138 : What Drives Me Forward

*Kryzen*

I never thought I would step back into this place again.

Drius and I shared a look before we stepped through the mouth of the cave and into the tunnel leading down into the land of shadows.

The battle against Tian’s dark army had been over a year ago at this point, but the memories were still very fresh in my mind. The very real fear leading up to the battle had been excruciating. I recalled the way Briella and I held each other the night before the battle, knowing that it could have possibly been our last night together.

Very miraculously, we had survived. We vowed to leave the dark city behind us. It was yet another instance where I should have had it all destroyed. That should have been my first order as king. It made destroying the obsidian palace seem like a waste of time.

“Should we call for backup, Your Majesty?” Drius asked from my right side as we continued through the darkness.

I could understand his apprehension. It was obvious that we would be vulnerable going into the city. We had no way of what awaited us there.

“Not yet,” I said. “We will wait until we investigate the dark city further.”

I didn’t want to leave my kingdom more vulnerable. There were still many of our defenses out searching for more leads on Briella’s whereabouts. I wouldn’t leave my daughter and my sister more vulnerable.

We didn’t know Malphas’ plan, so we needed to gather more information before making any changes.

I moved quicker as I thought about Briella. I hated the thought of her down there. Who knew what that bastard was doing to her? Anger toward myself was starting to resurface as I thought about how this could have been avoided if I had just stayed behind to protect my family. Maybe Briella would have still been safe at home with our daughter.

I reminded myself that I had no way of knowing what would have happened. I saw the opportunity to find Malphas and get rid of him for good, so I took it.

Allowing myself to wallow in blame was only going to leave me more vulnerable. I needed all my focus on bringing Briella home.

As I had often done before, I pictured her beautiful face in my mind, her wide, sparkling green eyes and sunny smile. I imagined the sound of her laughter and used those wonderful memories to drive me forward. I could feel the adrenaline coursing through me as I thought of the possibility of anything keeping me from her.

Anyone or anything that got in my way of bringing her home was going to pay dearly.

Even though it had been a year, the underground labyrinth was no match for me as I led the way through them, easily twisting and turning around bends. Briella’s scent was a little stronger, and I used it to lead us along as well.

I tore through the darkness, feeling my heart twist with fear for my mate. I stormed into the entrance of the city, glaring up at the dark towering buildings as if they had something to do with my wife’s disappearance. I supposed, in a way, they had.

One thing in our favor was that there were no shadow creatures to be seen. The city looked completely abandoned. Even without Briella’s faint scent permeating the air, I still knew in my heart that she was there.

I was going to tear down the entire city to find her.

“Scatter and search for any sign of the queen,” I ordered as I strode forward. I looked over my shoulder. “Drius, you’re with me.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” the general said respectfully, following me as we went deeper into the city.

It was eerily quiet as we moved down one of the streets, the black buildings towering over us like giant menacing shadows. I could feel both Drius and I tensing and on edge. I couldn’t help but feel like we were being watched. It was obvious that the general felt the same.

“This place gives me the creeps,” Drius quipped as if he couldn’t help himself.

“Stay alert,” I scolded tersely. “Malphas has power beyond what we can even begin to comprehend. It is highly possible that he knows of our whereabouts.”

“Briella’s scent is a little stronger now,” Drius said helpfully, ignoring my scolding.

I resisted the urge to growl possessively at the fact he had memorized Briella’s scent, but it couldn’t be helped. I was attuned to my sister’s scent as well. Drius remembering Briella’s scent didn’t mean anything.

I was clearly just feeling possessive of her because she was out of my reach at the moment.

“This way,” I confirmed, gesturing down a thin alleyway. We slipped between two buildings. When we emerged on the other side, we stared up at the temple in front of us. It was the same temple where we spied on Tian and found him giving a pep talk to hundreds of possessed beings just weeks before we invaded.

Her scent was definitely coming from the temple. I felt my heart begin to hammer ferociously against my ribcage. The urge to be close to my mate was almost primal as I propelled myself forward without a second thought.

“We should gather the other troops,” Drius said between his teeth, putting a hand on my shoulder to stop me. “This could be a trap.”

“There’s no time,” I snapped back. “She has been down here for over a day. Anything could be happening to her.”

Drius reeled as if I had slapped him. He recovered quickly, nodding in agreement. At that moment, we weren’t just a king and his general. We were both men who loved Briella and were willing to put our lives on the line to save hers.

I was no longer threatened by Drius. I could tell he loved Briella like a sister, which was the reason for his very real concern for her.

We strode right up to the temple’s doors and shoved them open, barreling inside with our weapons poised in front of us.

“Took you long enough to show up, Stormfall.”

“No,” I growled, recognizing the familiar voice immediately before I saw the hideous face that went with it.

Tian stood in the middle of the temple, grinning widely at me, his arms extended on either side of him like he was showing off his new home to an old friend.

My eyes darted around quickly to make sure we were truly alone. It took me a moment to realize that Briella’s scent was stronger in there but still rather faint. It was as if she had just been there but was still far away.

“How are you alive?” I demanded, raising my blade menacingly.

Tian just threw his head back and laughed loudly, the sound echoing through the large temple. The horrible noise rattled my bones. He smiled pleasantly and stepped toward me. “Let’s just say that I haven’t completed what I needed to when you tried to end me,” he said simply.

I clenched my jaw hard, hearing it creak against the pressure. Red tinted the edges of my vision as rage began to bubble through me. “Where’s Briella?” I growled.

Tian’s eyebrows rose, but he didn’t answer, his dark eyes practically dancing with amusement. “Now, why would I tell you that?” he asked pleasantly. “I doubt she’ll want to see you after what you’ve done.”

My fists clenched around the hilt of my blade. They itched to shove the entire thing through the vial man’s chest, but I held back. I needed answers, and he was, unfortunately, the one who could supply them. It seemed as if the city’s dark magic was messing with my ability to track my mate by her scent. “And how would you suppose that?” I asked, my eyes narrowing dangerously.

Drius growled next to me. I put a hand out to warn him to back off.

Tian shrugged. “I find it hard to believe she’ll still see you as a capable mate considering you left her vulnerable,” he said. “By letting her out of your sight, you allowed her to be taken from you. Well, rest assured that since she is now mine, she will be safe and well cared for.”

I snarled. All I saw was red as I lunged at him. I felt my body tremble before I shifted into my wolf form. For a brief second, I relished in the sudden burst of power that flowed through me, determined to use it to tear Tian limb by limb.

Tian’s eyes widened before he shifted as well, his dark wolf form barreling toward me at full speed.

He was fast, but I was faster as I dodged his sharp canines and swiped at his shoulder, watching hair fly as my attack met its mark. I felt a grim satisfaction when he snarled in pain.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t fast enough to dodge when he tackled me, using all his weight to shove at me. I growled ferociously, snapping my teeth at his neck and trying to gain the upper hand as we rolled in a pile of teeth and claws.

I was only vaguely aware of Drius getting ready to shift as well. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

“Stand down Drius!” I barked through our mental link. “Tian is mine.”

Drius froze, his eyes widening in shock. “But–”

I growled mentally. “You will do as I say, General. You will not intervene unless I say otherwise.”

Drius knew he couldn’t disobey a direct order. He stepped back unhappily but made no move to leave.

That was the least of my worries as I continued to fight Tian off, using my sharp claws to hold him away from me so he couldn’t sink his teeth into my skin.

I was still wrapping my mind around the fact that this bastard was alive. How was that possible? The only explanation was Malphas. I thought about how Briella said Malphas had been controlling Tian. As I looked at him now, it sure seemed like he was acting on his own free will.

That meant I would have no problem killing him slowly and painfully.

I shifted my weight suddenly, shoving Tian onto his back and causing him to yelp pathetically as his back hit the cold floor. I pressed one paw into his throat, growling threateningly as I prepared to bite a chunk out of his neck.

Tian snarled right back before his eyes began to glow. Alarm shot through me, but I was too slow to reach out as a painful shock went through my body.

“Kryzen!” I heard Drius yell behind me.

I fought against the dark energy that started to seep through me. Black dots started to dance at the edges of my vision. I snarled stubbornly against them. I couldn’t pass out. I needed to get to Briella. I needed to rescue her.

I heard an enraged roar behind me and saw Drius’ wolf form collide with Tian’s.

I jumped to my feet, preparing to help Drius, but I stumbled as the world tilted dangerously.

I pictured Briella’s face again, her bright green eyes and soft smile. I couldn’t fail her now. I had already failed her once by allowing her to get abducted. It wasn’t supposed to be this way.

I had no choice but to succumb to the darkness as I lost consciousness.