Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder-Chapter 1587 - 29 : The Only Way to Get Through

*Briella*

“Go shower,” I ordered Kryzen as we stepped out of my bedroom together.

He just ground his teeth but didn’t say anything, still looking on edge after what happened back in my room. His jealousy was sweet, but I still didn’t like the way it seemed to be eating away at him inside.

“If he hurts you...” Kryzen started to say.

I put a hand up to stop him, lowering my voice, very much aware that we were not alone in this tiny guest house. “He won’t,” I said firmly. “Look, he might be a jerk, but he’s still my best friend. It isn’t easy to go against an Alpha’s orders, especially my father’s. I’m going to knock some sense into his head, and we can be done with this.”

“I can shower later,” he said. His eyes darkened. “I don’t want to leave you alone with him right now.”

“I won’t be alone,” I said. “Don’t forget that your best friend is here too, y’know.”

Kryzen grunted but didn’t seem at all consoled by that. “I still don’t get why you want to talk to him alone.”

It was obvious he wasn’t talking about Roy. “Drius will be more honest with me if it’s just the two of us,” I said as patiently as I could.

Kryzen didn’t seem to like the sound of that. His frown deepened. “I can shower later,” he repeated.

“I’m going to have to face him eventually,” I said, resisting the urge to roll my eyes. I gestured vaguely at him. “You need a shower as soon as possible. You smell.”

He scoffed lightly but turned toward the bathroom. “Fine, but I am not against killing him if he steps out of bounds.”

I rolled my eyes. “Do I have to keep reminding everyone around here that I can take care of myself?”

Kryzen shrugged. “You are perfectly capable,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean you have to take care of yourself all the time.”

“Thank you for your infinite wisdom,” I said, using sarcasm to hide my surprise as well as the pink in my cheeks that was quickly darkening toward red. I waved him off. “Go shower, already.”

He laughed but started down the hall and away from me. “As you wish,” he said mockingly before disappearing into the bathroom.

I waited a couple of seconds to make sure he was actually going to stay in there before I turned the other way to find my best friend.

I was feeling much calmer when I entered the living room and spotted Drius. My face softened when I saw that he was kneeling in front of a large duffle bag, shoving some of his various belongings inside of it.

My heart sank slightly and guilt went through me as I realized he was packing. His back was to me, but I could easily tell that he was upset by his movements, which were rough and frustrated.

“Hey,” I said softly.

Drius stiffened but didn’t look at me. He simply continued to grab his clothes and other items and stuff them into his bag.

I sighed, moving forward so that I could lower myself next to him. I ducked my head to look into his face, hating how distant he looked. “Look, you might be acting like an overprotective jerk lately, but that doesn’t mean I want you to leave.”

Drius still wasn’t looking at me as he roughly zipped up his duffle and pushed it aside. “You are leaving this place as well.”

I actually laughed, a hard frustrated sound that seemed to rattle my bones. “No, actually, I’m not.”

Drius’ head snapped up. He just stared at me, a tick forming in his chiseled jaw. “I’m sorry, Briella, but I’m not backing down about this. We are leaving Celestial City, so you might as well accept it and get ready to go.”

I shook my head slowly, unable to believe that he was talking to me this way. “I can guarantee that this is not what my father wanted you to do,” I said, trying to keep my tone level. “He wouldn’t have been okay with you treating me like I’m weak, and he would respect my wishes to stay and help where I’m needed.”

“Yes, he does want you where you are needed,” Drius said tersely, standing up so he could tower over me. “And that is back in Drogomor where your family is—where your parents and brother are. They need you at home, Briella. Why can’t you understand that?”

“You’re the one who doesn’t understand, Drius,” I said, my voice softening as I realized there was some truth to what he was saying. “Look, I know that Kai and I have been away longer than we planned, but my parents sent us to the valley so we could help preserve the magic and light that exists there. And before I knew it, the valley became our home.”

Drius looked at me as if I had slapped him, reeling slightly.

I let out a long sigh. “I miss all of you all of the time,” I told him, sensing that I was finally getting through to him. “I miss my parents and my brother. I miss just hanging out with you and doing stuff like climbing trees and running through tall grass, but I also have to accept that I am needed in the valley. I can’t abandon them. They are my family too.”

We stared at each other for a long moment. I looked at Drius pleadingly, needing him to understand and hoping that after all our years of friendship, he would.

My heart sank when Drius’ face hardened, and he clenched his fists at his side. “I’m sorry, Bri,” he said. It sounded like there was a tiny bit of remorse there. “I can’t let you stay here. I’m taking you back to Drogomor.”

Maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised that he would be that stubborn. Memories flooded my mind of all the times he was being pigheaded like he was now. We might have been best friends since we could walk, but we got into quite a few arguments throughout our lives as well.

Drius was loyal and headstrong, always thinking he was right and not able to admit when he wasn’t. I seemed to be the only one who could show him when he was wrong. It took a lot of effort, but he usually ended up grateful when I did show him the error of his ways.

Sometimes, it took more than just some harsh words to get through to him.

It looked like it was going to have to be that way now as well.

“I’m sorry too, Drius,” I said quietly, rising to my feet so I could look him in the eye.

Drius eyed me, his brows furrowing in confusion as he took in the dark look I was giving him and the strange tone of my voice.

Realization flitted across his face right as I lunged for his throat.

He only barely dodged my attack, jumping backward. “What the hell are you doing?” he demanded.

I ignored him, rushing forward again and attempting to elbow him in the face. I smirked when he grabbed my arm and shoved it aside before jumping away from me once again. “You know very well what I’m doing. This is the only way to get through to your stubborn head.”

“Cut it out, Bri,” he said, sidestepping me when I came flying at him again. He lifted his forearm to block one of my punches. “Why do we have to do this whenever we fight? Let’s just talk it out. Isn’t that what girls usually prefer?”

I scoffed at the sexist comment. “And guys usually like to try to solve everything with their fists,” I countered evenly. “Come on, Drius. Be real. You know this is the language we have to speak whenever you are being particularly thick.”

He narrowed his eyes, but I saw a flash of recognition in light brown eyes.

“Remember when you were being stubborn about a stupid fighting stance back when we were ten?” I demanded, tossing another punch toward his gut.

Drius stepped back, dodging the blow neatly. “Why are you bringing that up?” he spat, frustrated. “We were just kids back then.”

“You were so certain that you had the stance right,” I went on, completely ignoring him as I moved to kick his feet out from under him. “But I knew you were wrong, and I had to nearly beat you up before you admitted it and I helped you get it right.”

“Again,” Drius spat, blocking another punch. He spoke through his teeth now. “We were just kids back then.”

I scoffed. “I don’t think either of us has changed that much.”

Drius didn’t answer. He just continued to avoid and evade, refusing to let me get close as I continued to fight him.

I allowed my frustration and anger to take over me as I threw multiple punches and kicks at my best friend, moving faster with every passing second. I thought about his annoying protectiveness and general pushiness, allowing the rage to fuel me forward.

“Fight me, Drius,” I demanded harshly. “This is what you wanted, isn’t it?”

“No,” Drius snapped. “Why would I want this, Bri? I don’t want to hurt you. I am not going to fight you.”

“You used to spar with me all the time,” I snapped back, shoving him backward, causing him to nearly topple back into the coffee table. “Why is it different now? You were never afraid to hurt me back then.”

In fact, Drius had given me multiple bruises and cuts when we were growing up. We wanted to make each other stronger. It was a huge foundation for our friendship. I didn’t understand why things were different between us now.

Was this really the result of one measly year apart?

I moved even faster, allowing my limbs to fly all over the place, barely allowing any time for Drius to react. His eyes widened at my speed, and he had to focus extra hard to keep from getting punched in the face.

Finally, I saw the resolve on his face. The fire returned to his eyes. He straightened before coming at me, fighting back for the first time.

I smirked.

Finally...

I gasped as Drius knocked me backward. I fell on my back, his fist connecting with my shoulder. He wasn’t using his full strength, but I didn’t mind since he was stronger than me.

“That’s more like it,” I said before I jumped back up and resumed another fighting stance.

Sparks seemed to fly as Drius and I sparred, our fists colliding over and over again. We were pretty evenly matched, but Drius was physically stronger than me thanks to his training while fighting in Drogomor. I silently thanked Kai for continuing to train with me while we lived in Celestial Valley.

Things were getting pretty heated right as Kryzen burst into the room, his eyes wide as he took in the scene of our fight.