Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder-Chapter 1524 - 123 : Clearing the Air

*Rhys*

“The traps worked,” the envoy said. “The trebuchets we reloaded with weighted nets brought down some of the smaller dragons, and the reinforced heat-reflective shields rebuffed a lot of their fire. They retreated without many casualties, but most of the family from a farm outside the city perimeter were slain in the attack.”

It was unwise for me to expect us to fight a stronger enemy without any casualties, but the public had lost a lot of faith in my leadership regarding the decision to not capitulate to Pyroth’s ultimatum.

Protests had sprung up, all peaceful, but it just showed how much discontent there was in Egoren.

“Please donate a generous amount to the remaining family members of the farm and send me the official casualty report.” I paused, moving our forces around on our map. “And please tell my generals I’d like to meet them in the next hour to discuss defending the other cities that Pyroth has already patrolled.”

Our trick to have this particular city look unguarded compared to others would only work once. Pyroth was sure to amass a larger force to attack another civilian stronghold before we reached his deadline, and we had yet to fully centralize our forces from the borderlands.

“Yes, Your Majesty.” The envoy bowed and stepped out.

“Rhys, come take a break with me until the generals arrive. The bags under your eyes have bags.” Saoirse smiled softly, beckoning me with her free hand.

Adelaide burbled happily, her dark hair curling around her swaddling clothes.

I rubbed my eyes, looking at our children and thinking about Keelana.

Saoirse liked to think that she was good at hiding things, but I knew her better than she thought I did.

When I asked everyone if they had seen Keelana or her children anywhere, everyone returned frantic stares and baffled apologies. No one genuinely knew her or her children’s whereabouts. However, when I caught Saoirse’s expression out of the corner of my eye, she looked away.

It was guilt.

She was hiding something. I had to admit that it hurt. Just like when she practiced with the dragon staff without telling me, she was hiding something about Keelana.

Now that I thought about it, she wasn’t nearly as shocked to see Axureon captured as I thought she should be. She wore the same pained face she did when anyone brought up that another search for Keelana ended in failure.

I wondered what she really knew. If Keelana was truly in peril and Saoirse knew, she’d tell me something that serious. At least, I hoped so.

I knew I was harsh on her for practicing with the dragon staff, but I thought she believed she could tell me anything.

What had I done to think that I wouldn’t be worthy of her trust? Had I really betrayed her that badly? My heart twisted. Maybe I was too harsh about the dragon staff.

It was time to clear the air.

“We need to talk, Saoirse.” I leaned back in my chair and directed my stare at my mate. “Please put Adelaide down.”

I kept my voice soft and low but serious.

“Um... okay, yeah.” To her credit, Saoirse complied and put the already drowsy Adelaide down into a bassinet identical to her brother’s.

She came to sit with me at the table, her hands folded on a corner of the map near the Southern Pass.

“I think I know what you want to talk about,” she admitted. This time, her green eyes met mine.

I was both relieved that this wouldn’t be an argument and terrified about what it could be. I decided to lead with what I thought the secret was.

“Keelana...” I paused. “You know where she and her children are, don’t you?” I asked, leveling a stare at her that I hoped she wouldn’t shirk away from.

“Rhys... I didn’t mean...” My mate turned her gaze away from me.

“Saoirse,” I cut her off, tired of a week of seeing her shirk away from me.“Just tell me the truth, please.”

I sighed a bit impatiently. I knew it was important that I didn’t lose my patience, but sometimes I thought that what people said about their mates, that they either accidentally or intentionally knew how to push the other’s buttons, was true. I could certainly push hers, and she could mine.

“I mean, I deserve to know the truth, right?” My voice sounded strained.

“Yes, of course, you do, Rhys, I’m sorry.” Saoirse’s voice wavered, thick with emotion.

Tears began to well up in her eyes. I felt guilt creep into my gut, but I let her continue.

“Axureon guided Keelana and her children to the Light Realm to Drogomor. They’re being protected by the Alpha. They can never return to Egoren,” she admitted softly, pointing to the Southern Pass on the map that her hands were already close to.

A weight lifted off my shoulders. Keelana was safe, and so were her children.

“So they’re safe, but no longer in Egoren?” I pressed, just to make sure that I understood everything.

“Yes, they’re safe.”

“I see. How do you know this?” I asked, wondering when she knew about this escape.

“I helped them with the plan. I was asked to keep it a secret from you because Axureon told me that if Pyroth found out that his progeny were no longer in Egoren, he’d waste no time in destroying us without holding back,” Saoirse explained.

“That all makes sense. That means Axureon was captured while guiding them to safety through that pass,” I surmised, looking at the map.

It would make sense. It was a remote part of Egoren, past the dragon sanctuary. It would then make sense that our scouts and sentries were kept from Pyroth overtaking Axureon.

“Yes, he didn’t return when he said he would. At first, I thought that maybe he had joined her.” Saoirse pursed her lips. “But I had no way to contact them, so I couldn’t check to make sure.”

“I see. I understand why this had to be in secret. If Pyroth had found out that there was no way to retrieve his children, we’d face a completely different foe.” I frowned, clenching my fist. A flurry of emotions raged through me.

I felt hopeless that we had even gotten into this position.

“But soon, Saoirse, he will realize that his progeny are no longer here, and then he will hit us with everything he’s got.” My tone of voice turned grave. By now, Saoirse’s tears had stopped.

“I know, and I’m sorry Rhys for not telling you sooner. I... I don’t know why I didn’t. I guess I thought that you already were dealing with so much. You are up at all hours of the night, and you won’t talk to me about your battle. You seem either to be on a different planet or obsessing over the casualties we suffered.” My mate paused, gathering herself. “I think maybe, as your mate, I just wanted to handle this one thing for you.”

That was it...

My battle.

I never talked to her about it.

“That’s on me.” I nodded, still seeing the grim horrors of war every time I slept. “I didn’t want to share these terrible things with you. I didn’t see the point in telling you about it because I didn’t think it would help anything.”

“It’d help you,” Saoirse replied. My eyes widened.

“You talking about it would help you get through it. You know that if we had switched places, you’d say the same thing to me right now. I want you to open up to me too. We’re a team, right?”

“Yeah, I know you’re right,” I said. “I feel like I’m failing our people, who are relying on me to be smart and strong. We’re racing against time, and every moment counts, yet I keep getting outsmarted and overpowered by our enemy. Maybe I also just kept it to myself because I deserve to have these nightmares. If I had been a better ruler, we wouldn’t have lost so many that day.”

“Rhys that isn’t true.” Saoirse flew out of her chair and embraced me, her breath hot on my ears and tears dampening my temple. “Pyroth is cunning and has the upper hand, but you won an unwinnable battle.”

“But I’m sure if my father was here, he would’ve figured out their plans before they happened ins–”

Saoirse pulled back and kissed me on the lips quickly before continuing.

“You kept as many people as safe as you could, and we will never know what your father did. He may not have found out. He may not have even won,” she insisted. “You’re a brilliant leader who is compassionate and strong. You’re doing great under dire circumstances. I will stand by you through this, no matter what.”

I looked back to our troop map, knowing our generals would arrive shortly.

“Rhys, look at me,” Saoirse practically commanded. My eyes snapped back to hers.

Her green eyes blazed with intensity and love despite being puffy from tears.

“Thank you, my love.” I smiled for the first time in what seemed like a lifetime. “Thank you for standing by me.”

“And thank you for opening up to me and handling me hiding the truth from you so well. I won’t do that again,” Saoirse promised. We kissed once more before she returned to her chair, squeezing my hand.

Despite my chest releasing what felt like a ten-ton heavy burden, Pyroth’s threat and Shylah’s spirit still weighed upon me like a dark, heavy shroud. Seeing Saphira on their side had made things more complicated and much worse. Shylah was a cunning, capable foe and, now we were going up against two powerful adversaries, not just one.

With a final, desperate prayer to the Goddess, I steeled myself for the battle to come and the terrible price that I might be called upon to pay.

Even in the face of such darkness and despair, I knew I was not alone. I had Saoirse by my side, and together we could face whatever challenges lie ahead. In the end, it was our bond, our unwavering commitment to each other and the light, that would see us through, no matter the cost.

As the generals began to file into the room, their faces grim with the weight of the task before us, I stood tall and resolute. I met each of their gazes, conveying the strength and determination that burned within me.

"My friends, my brothers, and sisters in arms," I began, my voice ringing out with a clarity and conviction that surprised even myself, "the road ahead is dark and treacherous, and the enemy we face is cunning and ruthless. But we will not falter. We will not yield."

I placed my hand on the map, tracing the lines of our defenses and the positions of our troops. "Together, we will stand against the darkness. We will fight for the light, and we will prevail. For the sake of our people and all that we hold dear, we will find a way to victory, no matter the odds."

As I spoke, I could feel the energy in the room shift, the despair and uncertainty giving way to a renewed sense of purpose and resolve. And as I looked at Saoirse, her eyes shining with love and pride, I knew that together, we could face anything that lay ahead.