Sold to the Alpha With Silver Eyes - Chapter 56: Chapter 56

My body aches, every muscle screaming in protest as I turn to the side to see Nate looking as rough as I feel. He seems to still be out, or perhaps dead, as I push myself up with one arm, wincing in pain. Shit, it’s been a while since someone has been able to match me with strength and speed.
And for that someone to be Nate…it’s damn unsettling. What have I been oblivious to? With my mind stuck on one goal, I have let so much else slip my notice. Then again, perhaps that is what my uncle wanted all along, me distracted and gone enough to not see what was right under my nose.
“You are alive?” Nate’s voice quivers as he grunts, attempting to sit up, his face pale and eyes filled with exhaustion.
“Barely,” I admit, dropping back down to the ground, resting my throbbing head. My wounds are healing, the familiar itch of my skin knotting itself together and the warmth of the magic within me easing the breaks and fractures deep in my bones.
“I lost control,” he whispers, a sadness in his voice. “It was not my intention to hurt you.”
I can’t help but roll my eyes, finding it hard to believe he chased after me and then attacked me, but he ‘meant no harm.’
“Intended or not, here we are.” I sigh.
“There are things at play you aren’t even aware of, things I can’t explain with the limited time I have to work with.” His breathing is quick, fighting through his physical pain to get to the point as quickly as he can.
“Then give me a summary.” I stare up at the leaves dancing overhead, sunlight seeping through them and warming parts of my cheek.
“You can not come home.” He says it with such conviction that I can’t help but feel annoyed.
“I have no intention of coming back,” I admit, and he goes silent.
“It must not have been easy to make that decision,” he whispers like he actually cares.
“Why have you changed your mind?” I ask him, ignoring the niggling feeling like he may not be the bad guy here.
“I was alpha ordered to try to get you to come back. I had to put in a solid effort before I served my duty enough that I fulfilled my oath, and now I can say what I wish to tell you.” He breathes heavily as he tries to move more.
“Then tell me already so you can be on your way back to daddy dearest.” I grumble, still confused by how to act or even begin to process what has happened.
“He has put a death order out on you.” Nate says his eyes meet mine and the gravity of what he says hits me, but somehow the words don’t feel as surprising as they should be.
“Of course he has.” I snort, trying to grapple with what that means. “How long has he been trying to keep the crown from me?”
I play with my fingers, looking down as one burns before it snaps back in place with a loud crack and I exhale, trying to fight a cry of pain.
“Listen, there isn’t much time for me to explain everything,” He forces himself to stand, his body lurching forward as he reaches for a tree trunk and leans on it, dry heaving for a moment.
“Why are you telling me all this, helping me? I am just your cousin. He is your father and you will get the crown. It makes it hard for me to trust you.” I admit, exhaling in emotional defeat. Everything is so fucked up, and yet, I still must find a way to go on, to find Eden and protect her, but then what do I do? Once I know she is safe, do I wander about the woods, or hunt the assholes who killed Hastings?
“You are sane. He is not. As you have witnessed, I have no control over my lycan. What kind of king would I be when I can’t control myself?” He says sincerely.
“I’m a rogue now. What kind of king you will be has nothing to do with me?”
Nate scoffs and shakes his head.
“You are not listening. My father has no intention of letting me or you become king. He plans to continue to rule how he pleases and with you gone, his true colors will soon come to light.” He is frantic, his one hand clinging to the tree trunk and the other flailing, about to make his point clear.
“And yet you keep telling me to stay away, not go back.” I remind him. “But that is only after you try to kill me in order to get me to go back. Can you see how crazy you sound?”
Nate growls, his head tilting back as he looks up at the tree and curses.
“Fucking just…LISTEN!” He roars. “I should have trusted you, come to you with all of this years ago, but I have been on such a short fucking leash and my father has kept you at arm’s length for a reason. I am begging you, save us all, turn your back on us for now if you must…but we all will need you.”
“What more is there you aren’t telling me?” I ask, not just needing more information, but craving it. So much time with my head in the sand I have to know everything. My lycan is already restless enough. It feels like he may crawl out of my skin.
“There is more I am trying to uncover, but you fucking killed Paxton before I could follow him and question him without my father knowing I was doing it.”
I force myself to stand and limp as I pace away from him and turn back, dragging my hands over my face.
“I have to find Eden first,” I tell him honestly. It’s the only thing my lycan and I can seem to agree on. Until we know she is safe, there is no way we can process anything else.
“I know.” He says, and I can see that he gets it. The question of if he has found his mate comes to mind, but he is already moving away from me, stumbling from tree to tree and wasting no time.
“Dev, you are the next heir. It’s not just your right but your duty to come back, eventually. Now is not the right time. I will get those who are loyal to you out of the pack and search for you and give them what information I can.”
“Nate, wait.” I call after him, feeling like I need to say something, but I can’t think of the words that want to come out. He doesn’t stop either as he moves out of sight and I watch his blood covered body disappear into the trees.
“Be safe, cousin.” I whisper, feeling a shift in the way I see him.
It is strange to see this new side of him, but his eyes have always been the portal to his true feelings. Which is why I found it hard to be close to him in the past. It always felt like he was only surface level, refusing to truly allow me in. And now that wall is gone, in its place, the raw emotions of his fear and worry.
There is rustling in the trees behind me and I turn, expecting to see Nate again, but am pleasantly surprised when I see Leoni’s black hair slicked back in a sleek bun and the bags on her back. She exhales and rolls her eyes, dropping them all as she reaches into one and grabs me a clean set of clothes.
“Leave you alone for a fucking day and you get your ass kicked.” She mutters, thrusting the shorts into my hands before she grabs another item from her bag and holds it up. “Topher figured you would be doing a bit of fighting, so he sent this.”
“Why are you here?” I ask her, frowning.
“Because I wanted to come?” She scoffs, scowling at me.
“You have to go back.” I order her and she chuckles, applying the cream to my arm with far more pressure than needed. A growl of pain rumbles in my chest and she grins, pleased with herself.
“You aren’t my alpha anymore, so you can try to order me all around, but we are equals now, buddy.” She smiles brightly and I frown.
“Oh, joy.”
“I’m pretty thrilled about it. Otherwise, I would be leading a group of wolves to bring you back. But fortunately for your dumb behind, I crossed the pack line, renounced the pack and fought off the wolves that were sent with me to get you enough that they needed medical treatment.” It is clear she is proud of herself, but I can’t help and hate that she had to go to such measures.
“Nate already came to bring me back.” I tell her and she presses her lips together.
“He didn’t come back within the time he was supposed to return, so your uncle claimed you went crazy and that the prince was in trouble. If it makes you feel better, no one really believes him, but he really enjoys using the Alpha voice to control everyone.” She says.
Leoni steps back, looking over the rest of me before wiping the cream on her pants and putting it back away.
“Nate said some interesting things…” I tell her and she just watches me before she grabs her bags and mine.
“And you believe them?” She asks. Her words aren’t judgemental, just curious as I shrug and then pull my hands through my hair.
“I think I do.” I admit, and she nods, then huffs out a heavy breath.
“So, what does that mean for us now?” She asks.
“Right now? Nothing. I can not think or process anything else until I know Eden is safe.”
“Then let’s go save our girl.” She says, walking straight ahead.
“Where are you going?” I ask her and she looks over her shoulder.
“The grass is stomped down this way. The other area over there is from Nate, I assume, from the blood. And the rest of the spots are too fresh to be from her and whoever has her.”
“But her scent goes this way.” I point to the right and she closes her eyes, reaching up and tugging two things from her nostrils. She sniffs the air and then she looks at me.
“If you walk closer this way, you will notice that it is stronger here. The breeze is playing tricks on your love sick heart, Dev. Trust me, okay?”
I narrow my eyes and scowl at her. “What the fuck? Why did you have scent inhibitors in your nose?”
Her dark skin flushes and she looks at the ground, reaching up as if she needs to slick her hair back more.
“I can’t smell Hastings anymore.” She whispers, looking up, her eyes watering. “It is easier to remember his scent if I am not drowning it out with every other scent in the world…I’ve been using scent inhibitors for a few weeks to help…Eden was taken and I didn’t notice because I couldn’t smell anything. I am so, so sorry…”
Leoni rushes toward me, her hands up like she had been the one who opened the window and convinced Eden to leave. My shoulders fall and I can’t help but frown. Eden’s kidnapping is far from her fault.
“I am sorry you felt you needed to hide that,” I tell her honestly. “It’s not your fault, and we will find her. Of that I am sure.”
“Hell yes we will. And I am hoping for a fun fight.” She grins, “Now, come along limpy, move your beat up ass, we are running out of time.”