Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder
Chapter 1101 - 12 : Just Kill Me

Chapter 1101: Chapter 12 : Just Kill Me

Daphne

I waited for the knife to slice against my skin and spill my blood. I had never wanted things to be this way, or to come to this.

All I ever wanted was to see my younger brother Rhys alive and well. But with the recent events, I wasn’t sure that I would make it out alive, so prepared myself for the worst.

Facing Rion was not the worst fate imaginable. That possible fate had already presented itself with the ruffians wanting to take my body against my will as a “reward” for their services. He had saved me, but only to make an attempt on my life.

The emotions swirling within me all heightened and overstimulated my mind to the point of numbness, enough for me to throw caution to the wind and let him have at it.

He hesitated and I looked at him. I could feel myself attempting a pitying gaze, but I knew it wouldn’t help. His eyes, however, were unreadable. Those blank slate gray orbs pierced deeper into my soul with each passing second between us.

His gaze faltered from me and he pulled away.

“I can’t kill you,” he said with a tone of voice suggesting he had lost an inner battle, though what inner battle, I could hardly say.

I stood still as he drifted from me. He swayed, but didn’t fall. He glanced at me, then turned away so his back faced me, but I could see part of the side of his face.

No longer was I tempted to run, although the opportunity presented itself at that moment. He seemed weakened, or perhaps that was just wishful thinking of my desperate mind. I had already run from him and it brought me to that Goddess-forsaken shack in the middle of the woods. Who would live in a place with a broken door that wouldn’t even close was beyond my comprehension.

His sigh broke through my thoughts.

“You know the people I’m meeting up with. We are going to make a trade.” He spoke with a lilt at the end that suggested there was more. I waited. “I brought you so I could make a trade.”

Throughout the journey, I had heard about myself being the primary object of a trade. I imagined something like this had been on the table for quite some time, and that it was the plan from the beginning.

I didn’t want to believe it–that I, a princess, could be traded off like some piece of livestock.

But there I was and there he was fully admitting it to me. I believed him. It certainly explained why he hadn’t killed me yet.

To be traded, one must be alive. I spoke, trying to sound indignant, but my voice still trembled, exposing the fear I felt.

“Trade me for what? Money? I could have easily given you that. Just name your pr—”

“For my sister.”

I was taken aback. No wonder he had been so adamant about rescuing me from the ruffians. Not only was I a tradeable object, but the other end of the deal was someone he could not live without. It was no secret he didn’t care for me, and the feeling was mutual, but I was a valuable piece in the game.

“The group I’m sending you to, their leader was named Hestia. She was a very powerful witch with a small but strong following. They have my sister. I haven’t seen her in more than ten years.”

The Hestia I knew of was a mighty and dreadful witch. Her reputation preceded her even in my circles in the palace. Still, I had heard that she died a long time ago. It struck me as suspicious that anyone would be following a dead witch. What purpose it granted him was beyond me.

He chuckled, but it was a bitter, hopeless sound. I almost felt bad for him.

Almost.

Of course, he had always left me uneasy when it came to trusting him, but my newfound suspicion made it that more difficult.

“Why me, though? There are so many wealthy people to pluck off for her needs. And why do they have your sister?”

He turned around and I saw his eyes glistening. I wasn’t sure if it was the low light or tears, but he certainly looked conflicted. He shrugged.

“I don’t know. That was just the deal.”

“Well, you must have agreed because you hate the palace. But can’t you see I’m innocent in all of this? What have I done to deserve this?” I gestured to the piles of dead bodies surrounding us, indicating the events that had led up to it.

In doing so, I reminded myself of what that horrible, huge man tried to do to me, and I shuddered. But Rion brought me back to the present moment with a biting tone.

“So is my sister. The only reason we were separated was because of the King and the Queen... your parents.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

He ignored my question. Again.

He looked around, searching for something. I didn’t bother asking. I knew I would find out soon enough. He stooped to the floor and pulled up a belt from the pants of a dead man. He wiped the blood off on his thigh and gestured for me to show him my wrists, which I did.

He used the belt to tie around my hands. It was a solid belt without the holes so it could be tightened as far as the user wanted, and he made sure it was super tight.

He cinched my wrists until there was no possible space between them and looped the belt around, finally pulling it through the ring at the end and giving it one last squeeze.

“It’s a long way back to the temple,” he said with bitter accusation salting his words.

I frowned, but he spoke before I could retort.

“We need to be in the tunnels before dawn.”

He pulled away from me and headed for the door. I remained at the wall where I had been standing and he glanced at me with a threat in his eyes.

“Let’s go,” he growled.

At that point, I was sure that neither getting stabbed by him nor waiting for whatever that witch had in store for me were good options.

The look in his eyes, below the ever-present anger, was a kindling fear. Such a man wouldn’t fear just anyone. It may not be Hestia herself, but a powerful and wicked substitute. Whoever it was, I didn’t want to get involved with them.

I walked away from the wall and followed his orders. The lesser of two evils presented itself in the form of obeying what he said in the following days. It would make things easier for me and give me time to figure out a way to wriggle from his grasp and live.

We emerged back into the pool of moonlight, which was refreshing as the crisp bath of pale blue and shimmering silvers from the beauty above replaced the dirty amber hues from inside the ramshackle house.

I didn’t look back. I wanted that whole nasty experience behind me, and I walked swiftly at his side.

As we moved through the woods, weaving through the trees at a decent pace, I realized that the walk back to the temple was not as long as I had previously thought. I recognized certain areas, namely the lead pipe I had dropped in my rush to the house, which had appeared much earlier than where I remembered dropping it.

We reached the temple much quicker than it felt to run from it. The light from a fire inside cast its warm glow, smoothing out the rough edges of the great shadows of the forest trying to swallow it up.

Great. That whole time I was running around in frantic circles. I had only gotten so far and had used up so much energy.

My shoulders hung loose and I felt deflated by my wasted efforts. I knew that the next time I ran away, I’d have to be smart and do it during the day when there was enough light for me to see where I was actually going.

No more running around in circles in the dark, I thought.

We came up to the temple entrance, where the group sat around a fire, fully clothed and relaxed as if they had not just wiped out a whole group of ruffians not ten minutes ago. They all glanced at me, and chuckled or whispered to each other. I didn’t much care for the gossip, but there was little I could do to react to it.

It was then that a wave of exhaustion washed over me.

“Come with me,” Rion said.

He took my arm and tugged me along with him. My hands bound together became a loop for his hand to grab, making it easier for him to control where I went.

I hated it, and it made me hate him even more.

He led me over to a space away from the fire but close enough to feel its warmth and bask in the pleasance of its light. It was a comfort juxtaposed to the horrors I just witnessed.

He stopped me near the wall, and I stood there as he grabbed his bag and pulled out a second rolled-up mat that he then flattened out on the ground next to his.

He got up, grabbed me by the forearms, and forced me onto my side to lay down on it. I wriggled but he grabbed me by the waist to keep me from moving. It reminded me of the huge man who wanted to take advantage of me, but I was too afraid to say anything about it.

His warm hand smoothed over my stomach from behind me and his arm followed, snaking around my side so he could hold me–cradle me.

The rest of his body followed until his front was aligned with my backside. He pulled me into him until our bodies touched, and I could feel the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed and steadying of his rapid heartbeat.

I was surprised to find that my own elevated pulse began to slow down in time with his.

His breath came out in soft puffs behind my hair, seeping through onto my neck. I cringed at first, and then a shiver ran through me that wasn’t entirely unpleasant.

“I suggest you sleep. We’ve got a long journey ahead of us tomorrow,” he said in a gruff voice.

I could only nod. It all felt so invasive and uncomfortable, but strangely, the feeling began to melt away as my tired and aching body gave in to the comfort of finally settling down from all that running.

As my eyelids grew heavier, my body fell into a state of deep relaxation, ready to drift into dreams.