Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder-Chapter 1576 - 18 : Such a Time as This

*Briella*

The hallway leading to the throne room felt cold, causing me to shiver slightly as we followed General Tian. My stomach was fluttering with nerves. This was it. This would determine the rest of our stay there. If the Alpha saw no need for us to be there, he could very well kick us out. We had to do everything in our power to ensure that didn’t happen.

I wish we had taken a moment to strategize and plan what to say, but with General Tian within hearing distance, it just wasn’t wise. I could tell that Kryzen and Roy felt similar since both of them were glaring at the other man’s back as we made our way down the hall.

“Our Alpha is under a lot of pressure to restore peace and safety in the city, so you’d best be sensitive when speaking to him,” General Tian warned suddenly as the large golden double doors came into view.

The three of us exchanged a look. It seemed odd that he wanted us to be sensitive when speaking with a powerful Alpha.

Kryzen’s voice was flat. “I’m sure your Alpha will be able to handle conversation with the three of us.”

General Tian put his hand on the door and turned his head to level each of us with a look. “Just be sure to consider the consequences of your words before uttering them.”

I felt my jaw drop slightly. Was he actually threatening us?

Before any of us could formulate a response to that, General Tian pushed the doors open, revealing a large throne room. The grandeur of it struck me immediately as the three of us stepped inside.

Massive columns soared upward, supporting the intricately carved ceiling covered in star and moon patterns. At the far end of the room, on top of a raised dais, was a large throne made of gilded wood and adjourned with velvet cushions. Rich tapestries hung on the walls and boasted illustrations of conquest and valor.

In the center of all the immaculate splendor stood the Alpha of Celestial City. He stood tall and proud in front of his throne, his piercing eyes the color of sapphires as he stared us down. He wore rich robes with embroidered wolf patterns along the hem and sleeves. His dark ebony hair hung in waves near his shoulders, framing his strong facial features.

What little confidence I had had melted away as we approached, but I forced myself to keep my head held high.

The Alpha’s stern exterior faltered a bit as he smiled at us, raising his arms on either side of him. His voice, although higher than I expected, filled the entire room. “Welcome to Celestial City, my friends.”

“Thank you,” Kryzen said as we stopped directly in front of the Alpha but still had a respectable distance. “We are humbled by the warmth of your welcome, Alpha Ray. We come with a sincere desire to foster peace and cooperation within your realm.”

The Alpha’s eyes settled on Kryzen. “I’ve heard a great deal about you, Kryzen Stormfall,” he said. “Your grandmother, Eva Stormfall, is beloved throughout the entire city and well-respected for her seemingly boundless power. I understand you have shown great promise as a future general like your father.”

I had to lock the muscles in my body to keep from whirling around to stare at Kryzen in surprise.

Kryzen chuckled, the sound rumbling slightly from where he stood beside me. “I see my grandmother has been spreading rumors about me,” he said lightly.

I continued to gape internally at his uncharacteristic humility.

Alpha Ray raised an amused eyebrow. “Indeed, it seems your grandmother’s tales of your prowess precede you.” His gaze then traveled over to Roy. “I must admit that I am curious as to why a Crimson prince and the son of a powerful general would visit our city at such a time as this.”

Roy took that as his cue. “We heard of the sinister plague that had befallen the city and feared a similar force would threaten our homes as well.”

“We’ve come to investigate,” I added with conviction.

Alpha Ray’s eyebrows raised as we spoke. We just stared as he began to laugh, the sound bouncing off the walls. It took him a moment to recover. “Forgive me. I believe I laugh due to the relief I feel because while I am thankful for your concern, it simply is no longer required. Our benevolent Moon Goddess has blessed us and rid the city of that horrendous illness.”

My skepticism was mirrored by Kryzen and Roy’s expressions. I stepped forward. “Exactly how did this miracle occur? Did it happen overnight?”

Alpha Ray’s expression grew grim. “All truly seemed lost. Our citizens were dying left and right, but the goddess blessed us with a righteous man who entered our city with a cure to the disease. Once the cure was administered to our people, the illness did appear to disappear almost overnight. It was a true miracle, as you said.”

I could almost hear the gears turning in Kryzen’s mind as he started to formulate a response. I was thankful he was since my brain was currently empty of all possible words at the moment.

Alpha Ray looked between us. When another couple of seconds of silence passed, he gestured behind us. “We were blessed with a brave man who saved us from the disease. It seemed only right to make him the top general of Celestial City.”

“And it has been my great honor to serve you and our people, Alpha.”

I couldn’t stifle the gasp that tore from my lips as General Tian stepped forward. Kryzen and Roy stiffened at my sides, staring in shock at the general.

I eyed the general, searching for any signs of ingenuity but could find none. He was looking up at Alpha Ray with the utmost respect, even going so far as to lower his head in a bow to the Alpha.

He might have been fooling the Alpha, but he wasn’t fooling me. There was something wrong with this entire situation. It seemed a little too perfect for this cure to appear out of nowhere and to be delivered by this dark man.

I could feel that Roy and Kryzen felt the same way I did. Kryzen was shooting Roy a couple of subtle glances. I wondered what they were thinking or if they were plotting something.

Before I could stop myself, I was marching right over to General Tian and getting right in his face. “Where did you find this so-called cure?” I demanded through my teeth.

“Briella,” Roy gasped quietly, his tone reproachful.

I ignored him and continued to narrow my eyes up at the general. I was not at all intimidated, even though he was tall and probably twice my weight.

General Tian backed up in surprise by my sudden question and probably the fact that I was now standing right in front of him. His dark eyes narrowed, and he lifted his chin, staring down at me in clear disdain.

“I come from a tiny pack, miles, and miles away from here,” he said, not taking his eyes off of me, his voice low. “Our best healer had a vision of an elixir that she needed to make. She worked on it for years, knowing that it would be of great importance someday. Finally, when it was completed, she told us it needed to be delivered as soon as possible to Celestial City.”

I watched his face carefully as he told his little tale, unconvinced despite the beauty of it. I could picture it all in my head—an elderly healer working feverishly over a work table, bottles and herbs strewn around her. He painted a pretty picture, but it just didn’t seem right coming from this calloused man.

“My little village is essentially on the other side of the realm,” the general continued, still glowering down at me, even though he was clearly talking to the entire room. “I am highly skilled in combat, so it was decided that I would make the dangerous journey to deliver the cure. It has been my great privilege to do so.”

General Tian sounded sincere, but there was something in his expression that I just didn’t like. I searched his dark eyes, alarmed at how I couldn’t read them. His orbs were nearly black, the depths of them endless in the similar way a deep lake appeared before drowning someone.

His eyes gave me an eerie feeling.

I couldn’t figure out why I felt so strongly about this. I didn’t know this man at all, yet a powerful anger and suspicion were bubbling up inside of me when I looked at him. Something in me was screaming that he couldn’t be trusted.

The feeling must have been mutual because the general shifted even closer to me, getting right in my face. His voice was low and dangerous. “Why do you appear so skeptical?” he asked through his teeth. His voice was so quiet that I doubted anyone else could hear. “Could it be that you don’t believe me?”

I ground my teeth together, wishing I could confirm his suspicions and wanting to spit them in his face, but I wasn’t a fool. I knew I couldn’t be so outward in front of the Alpha and the plethora of guards that were likely there to protect not just the Celestial City leader but also his top general. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

My eyes widened slightly when a growl rumbled in General Tian’s chest. It was low, probably low enough that the Alpha couldn’t hear it from where he was, but it was a clear warning to me.

Suddenly, I found myself being grabbed around the waist and spun away from the dark general. I gasped when I saw Kryzen, his arm around me. He had placed himself between me and General Tian, his expression murderous.

Alpha Ray laughed a bit nervously, putting his hands toward us in a placating way. “Now, now, let’s all settle down,” he said as if speaking to a room full of rowdy schoolchildren. “We should not be quarreling, friends. This is a time for celebration. Our beloved city is safe.”

“I’m fine,” I murmured to Kryzen, trying to slip out of his hold, but he tightened his arm around me, still glaring at General Tian.

“You should all go return to the ball,” Alpha Ray said, his tone light and urging. “I believe most of the guests have arrived, so it will be quite cheerful out there. Just please do not bring up the illness or anything of the sort. It is behind us, and we should be cherishing this peaceful time that we have.”

Kryzen stared the general down for another moment before dropping his arm around me so we could leave the throne room.