Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder-Chapter 1584 - 26 : Wordless Acknowledgement

*Briella*

The whole way back to the guest house, I had General Tian’s piercing glare in my mind. It caused me to grit my teeth and shudder.

I thought about how he looked at me and wondered why it was just me. He didn’t seem to like Kryzen or the other guys very much either, but he didn’t look at them with nearly as much hatred as he did me.

At first, I wondered if he just had something against women in general. Maybe he didn’t appreciate that I was a female who was essentially attempting to counsel the city’s higher-ups. It would definitely be an ego blow to any misogynistic jerk.

I stared out of the window of the train, watching the city pass by in a glowing blur. It couldn’t just be about me being a girl. The way the general stared at me with his dark, narrowed eyes was eerily familiar. It was as if we had been mortal enemies for a long time.

Maybe he had something against my home of Drogomor Pack or something. Political spats weren’t unheard of, unfortunately. General Tian might have held some kind of grudge or vendetta against my pack.

Whatever it was, I was more certain than ever that there was something more to this than just my gender and personality. The realization caused me to wonder what secrets were hidden behind the general’s steely gaze.

I barely even noticed when we arrived at our stop and somehow made it back to the guest house. I stared up at the building in surprise before following the guys inside.

I was just setting my bag down on the coffee table when Drius came up to me, looking almost murderous.

I gave him an odd look. “Hey, you look like someone cheated during a sparring match,” I quipped lightly, watching my old friend with a quickly rising eyebrow.

He didn’t answer or even crack a smile. His shoulders were tense, and most of his face was in shadow. Finally, his light brown eyes met mine, and they were darkening quickly. “What the hell was that all about? The general was looking at you like you killed his parents or something.”

A small part of me was relieved that even Drius noticed the layers of the general’s hatred toward me. The other larger part was concerned about my friend. Had he been seething about this the entire way back to the house? I forced a laugh. “Yeah, I must have spit in his soup in another life or something.”

Drius groaned. “This isn’t a joke Bri,” he said, narrowing his eyes at me. “You can’t be on the bad side of powerful men like him. He could do anything to you.”

I flinched at his words, real fear going through me.

Kryzen took a step forward, glowering at Drius. “She’s done nothing to the general,” he said, almost defensively. “We’ve been here with her the whole time.”

“We have reason to believe he is working against the Alpha,” Roy explained. He looked regretful. “We have no proof of any possible coup, but it does appear as if the general was hired solely because he cured the city of the horrid disease that was here just weeks ago.”

“The Alpha seems really young,” I added. “He appears strong and confident, but I have a feeling he is letting the relief from the illness being eradicated cloud his judgment. It’s obvious they all view the general as a hero who can do no wrong now.”

Drius cursed under his breath, looking troubled, his eyes shifting as he thought. Finally, he looked right at me and straightened. “We need to get you back to Drogomor as soon as possible. We should leave immediately.”

I felt my jaw drop as I gaped at my childhood friend. “What are you saying?” I demanded in disbelief. “Are you suggesting I just abandon these people and run away?”

Drius had the audacity to roll his eyes as if I was being dramatic. “You wouldn’t be abandoning them, Bri. You aren’t even a citizen here. You owe these people nothing. From what I understand, you’ve already done them a great service. It’s time for you to come home, where you belong.”

“I’m needed here,” I argued hotly. “I have to stay to help Celestial Valley, Drius. Or did you forget about my obligation to my mother’s people? Not to mention that my little brother is currently there too.”

I couldn’t even believe what Drius was asking of me. I knew he was sent there by my parents to bring me home, but he should have been able to see the direness of the situation.

Drius looked unimpressed. “If you are needed in the valley, then why aren’t you there now?” he asked. “Your brother can take care of himself. And the people in this city have resources to get through this.”

I could feel frustration welling up inside of me. “You don’t understand,” I snapped finally.

Drius frowned at that statement. “And you don’t seem to understand that all I want is to protect you.”

I threw my hands up in frustration. “I don’t need you to protect me,” I told him firmly. “Or did you forget that we’ve fought side by side in the past? I can take care of myself.”

Where was the dork I used to climb trees with and chase around the fields? We had only been apart for a year, so I wondered what went on in that amount of time. He seemed so much more calloused and serious. I reeled slightly when I realized that I had changed as well. How could I not with everything that had gone on?

I shook my head slowly. I needed to be more firm than ever if he was going to hear me. “I’m not going back with you, Drius,” I said.

I gritted my teeth together and shoved the front door open, storming out into the garden.

I stomped away from the house, feeling like a teenager with the way I left but not really caring. I needed to clear my head, and Drius and I clearly weren’t going to see eye-to-eye about this at the moment.

I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding, staring into a tiny pond just outside the gates of the estate we were staying in.

“Briella.”

I stiffened, thinking that Drius had followed me out here at first but turned when I realized it was Kryzen’s voice.

He was watching me carefully as if I was a wild animal that would bolt if he moved too quickly toward me.

I felt my shoulders sag. I turned away from him, staring at the large orange fish that chased each other in the water. “What do you want, Stormfall?”

It took him a moment to answer. “I just wanted to make sure you weren’t actually going to run off. The city isn’t safe right now, and I wasn’t sure how clearly you were thinking at the moment.”

I laughed, a hard frustrated sound that bubbled up my throat. “I suppose you probably agree with Drius then.”

“About what?” Kryzen asked after a tense moment.

I ground my teeth together hard before whirling around to face him. “Don’t play dumb,” I snapped, hating how out of control I felt. This wasn’t me. “You’re probably thinking I’m not strong enough to be here fighting against dark, dangerous forces. You probably agree with Drius that I should just go home where I’ll be safe away from the action. Admit it.”

I was breathing heavily from my little outburst. I looked away again, ashamed at being that vulnerable in front of Kryzen, who was probably amused by it.

When my breathing calmed some, I finally looked up at Kryzen’s face. He normally had a cool and collected facade, but now his expression bore traces of empathy and understanding. His usually stoic expression softened slightly as he listened to my rant.

“No,” he said finally, the single word causing me to reel slightly. He held my gaze seriously, taking another step toward me. “I don’t agree with Drius at all. In fact, I believe you to be strong and completely capable of taking care of yourself.”

His words hung in the air as we stared at each other, his response cutting through the tension like light piercing through a stormcloud. I blinked, shocked by his answer. I searched his deep gray eyes, looking for any signs of mocking, and found none. His sincerity was obvious and sound.

“You should stay,” he said after a silent moment when it was apparent that I wasn’t going to respond. “You are vital to this mission. The more time that passes, the more I’m sure of that fact.”

I sucked in a sharp breath, realizing that it hadn’t been Drius’ doubts that were plaguing me.

It was my own.

I bit my lip as emotion slammed into me. I swallowed hard. “Thank you for chasing after me,” I murmured.

It was obvious Kryzen heard me. He nodded. “I have to admit I was impressed by you, both during the battle downtown today and when we were at the ball. You’ve clearly gotten stronger.”

I felt my cheeks grow warm. Once again, I detected no trace of insincerity. I chuckled to release some tension. “Are you actually bestowing me with a compliment, Stormfall?”

Kryzen just chuckled, his signature smirk tilting the corner of his lips. “I have to be sure to keep my guard up,” he said simply. “I could never allow myself to fall behind and fail to keep up with you. You may have gotten stronger, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to let you win, Black.”

I laughed once, unsure how to react naturally to his mixture of banter of seemingly genuine praise.

I felt my cheeks growing warm as I gazed at my childhood rival, feeling like I was looking at him for the first time. I blinked, noticing for the first time that his dark, raven hair framed his stormy gray eyes, making the orbs look like rain clouds pierced by sunlight.

I couldn’t read the look he was giving me now with his intense eyes, but it definitely wasn’t the usual contempt and annoyance I was used to seeing from him throughout our childhood. There was something softer there, some level of understanding I didn’t recognize at first.

I found myself reeling when I realized there was some camaraderie there in his stormy eyes.

At that moment, a wordless acknowledgment seemed to pass between us like a spark of electricity. It was clear that going forward, we were going to be looking out for one another.

I read something else in his eyes. For some reason, it caused me to shiver and my face to grow even hotter.

Kryzen tilted his head at me, his eyes widening slightly as he seemed to feel it too, whatever it was. He cleared his throat and gestured toward the house. “Let’s get back inside. It’s getting cold.”

I nodded and followed him silently, feeling my mouth curving upward as we headed into the house together.