Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder
Chapter 1237 - 148 : Reflection of the Night Sky

Chapter 1237: Chapter 148 : Reflection of the Night Sky

*Rion*

I cursed under my breath as Jasper and our contingent of warriors sprinted through the forest. I cursed Varge for abducting my wife and my sister, I cursed the obviously spotty security supposedly protecting our pack’s borders, but most of all, I cursed myself for leaving Daphne and our children alone during this season of fear.

I should have been there. I could only imagine what that deranged bastard was doing to them. Desperation welled up inside of me as we tore through the trees. We needed to get to them.

Now.

I shook my head hard, forcing myself to focus solely on the task at hand—tracking them down and beating Varge until he was within an inch of his life, and then finishing the job as slowly as possible.

Miraculously, we were able to track their location thanks to some guards who were actually doing their jobs. They were able to point Jasper and me in the direction of an isolated cave that was rumored to be used for dark rituals.

“I don’t have to tell you that failure isn’t an option,” Jasper growled from next to me.

“Naturally,” I responded between my teeth.

I knew Jasper was beating himself up just as badly. We both had everything to lose right now.

We moved even faster when the mouth of the cave came into view. The dark magic spewing from it was unmistakable. We were just lunging toward the opening when a thunderous roar shook the ground.

I skidded to a halt and grabbed onto Jasper’s shoulder, holding him back before he could barrel straight into danger.

Jasper gave me a confused, irritated look, but I gestured for him to wait. He sucked in a breath of annoyance but obeyed, his light eyes focusing on the cave’s entrance.

I waited for another fraction of a second. “Proceed with caution,” I said to Jasper and the warriors. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

As we approached the cave, another roar shook the ground, feeling more like an earthquake than the last. We all stumbled a bit as Varge’s beast form burst through the darkness and into the open. I narrowly dodged a swipe of a clawed paw as Varge tore toward us.

With deep, guttural battle cries, Jasper and our warriors swiftly engaged the hulking beast with long blades.

Jasper met my gaze for a brief second and the message was loud and clear. ‘What are you waiting for? Get going and find Daphne and Eva!’

I continued toward the cave and with an enraged roar of my own, shifting and allowing myself to relish in the strength coursing through my veins as fur and hard muscle erupted over my body.

I caught the scent of my mate almost immediately and headed toward her, my sharp eyes focused on the horrific scene before me.

Daphne and Eva were bruised and bloody, with thick chains binding them to an altar in the center of the torch-lit cave. They were surrounded by acolytes dressed in dark cloaks who were chanting in an alien language.

I felt every muscle in my body tense as I lunged forward to save them, but a bolt of white light burst from seemingly out of nowhere, knocking me backward. As I hit the ground heavily, an agonized howl that I recognized as Jasper’s echoed from outside.

I hit the ground hard and struggled to right myself. Before I could, Varge suddenly towered over me. He was only half-beast now, scales encasing half his body as he stood over me on two reptile legs.

He was still much larger than an average human, about the size of a small tree. His eyes were so dark they almost looked black, making the pupils completely undetectable.

He was truly horrific.

“Your efforts are futile, nephew,” Varge boomed, grinning evilly, his pointed teeth glinting in the torchlight. “You’d best not fight it. You should be proud that your little mate is sacrificing her blood to bring Hestia back!”

I growled sharply at him, glancing quickly at the altar. Daphne was completely helpless, hanging from her chains. She and Eva both looked tiny against the marble material.

I eyed Varge, deciding how to get around him and how much of a threat he was now that he had shifted into this hybrid monster form.

There was no time to fight him now. The sick ritual looked to be well underway. I lunged for the altar again, Daphne’s frightened hazel eyes filling my mind, driving me forward.

A pained snarl burst from between my teeth as Varge grabbed me and pulled me back toward him. He was still far too strong. I fought against him for a while, snapping and clawing at him as best as I could, but he just held me down against the rocky cave floor.

“You cannot stop the ritual, nephew,” Varge spat down at me as I continued to struggle. He gasped suddenly as he focused on the altar. “It’s time.”

A couple of the acolytes raised ceremonial daggers over Eva and Daphne, the swirling symbols on the hilts glowing with an ominous red light.

“No!” I screamed in my mind, but it came out as an enraged roar as I tackled Varge, successfully shoving him off of me since he was too distracted by the ritual.

I started to sprint toward my wife and sister, but Varge was quick, and he quickly recovered and stepped in front of me, poised to strike me.

I snarled and launched myself at him with all the strength I could muster. It was no use. Varge just laughed and swatted me away with his scaly arm as if I was half his size, because I was.

My head spun but I forced myself to focus on my wife and sister as the daggers were poised above their heads. Daphne’s eyes were wide, but she also had a resigned look on her face that froze my blood as I realized that I couldn’t get to her in time.

The blood-soaked dagger tips, aimed at the two most important women in my life, gleamed red in the firelight.

I roared, an enraged but also helpless sound as I lay sprawled on the cave floor, unable to move. I watched in horror as the knives slashed downward toward Daphne and Eva.

My eyes widened briefly as the chanting suddenly came to an abrupt stop and the whole cave seemed to go still.

Suddenly, a blinding light filled the dim space, bringing with it warmth and a strange sense of peace. I shielded my eyes against the bright white light, screaming for Daphne and Eva in my head.

I gasped, wondering for a moment if I was dead. I dismissed the thought immediately when I still felt the cave floor beneath my paws and a cool, almost magical breeze ruffled the thick fur around my neck and shoulders.

I blinked hard and looked up toward what I could only describe as a powerful presence that suddenly appeared above us.

The Moon Goddess hovered above us in luminous glory. She was adorned in silver iridescent robes that flowed around her like the wings of an owl. Her long silky hair was white and smooth and fanned around her like a giant halo.

As soon as I laid eyes on her, I felt a gentle and calming aura flowing off her and suddenly, I was no longer anxious or afraid. Her deep eyes were glittering and seemed to reflect the entirety of the night sky.

With the grace of a swan, the Moon Goddess turned slightly to regard Varge before extending her long, smooth arm. The acolytes around the altar were vaporized instantly with a single sweep of the Goddess’ hand.

The Goddess turned slightly, floating above Varge before barely lifting a single finger, causing the half-beast to go flying against the far wall. A grave satisfaction filled me as he hit the rocky surface hard before falling into a crumpled heap on the cold cave floor.

I watched as Daphne and Eva were freed from their bonds, the chains disintegrating into little sparkles of light before disappearing completely.

Each young woman let out a sob before they clung to one another in relief. Their sentiment was reflected in me as I instantly relaxed, knowing that the two of them were now safe.

The Moon Goddess floated over to Varge’s limp form, then raised her chin and looked down at him.

“You shall plague this world no more, spawn of darkness,” she said in a melodic voice that had us all momentarily hypnotized.

Her deep blue eyes seemed to hold all the stars in the universe and were blazing with rage. Before I could fully process her words, the Goddess fanned an arm outward, causing the bracelets on her wrists to jingle and glow before a portal was ripped open directly next to Varge.

I only briefly caught sight of the terrifying endless, isolating limbo before Varge was sucked into it. His frightened, enraged howls filled the space briefly as he tumbled through the darkness before the Goddess sealed the portal shut, causing it to disappear just as swiftly as it had appeared.

Relief flooded me as a brief silence filled the space.

Pain still ran through me, and I struggled the stand, but then my body began to glow. I was lifted briefly and when I blinked, I had shifted back to my human form.

I ran my hands over my clothed arms, momentarily confused until I slowly looked up at the Goddess, who wasn’t smiling, but peace seemed to be radiating from her anyway.

Daphne and Eva rushed toward me, and I hugged them both tightly as they cried in my arms. I looked them over briefly, relief once again going through me when I saw that their wounds had been healed as well.

We all looked up as our warriors limped inside, led by an exhausted-looking Jasper, whose eyes widened upon seeing us all and he rushed over to take Eva in his arms.

He pressed a quick, brotherly kiss to Daphne’s forehead and then hugged me as well. Having been face-to-face with the threat of unimaginable loss, my best friend and I wordlessly agreed to set aside our manly awkwardness toward physical affection for just this moment and we hugged one another, amazed that Varge was officially gone and our mates were safe.

Gratitude overwhelmed me as I embraced my family. I looked up at the Moon Goddess, tears filling my eyes.

“You saved us all,” I said in absolute awe.

The tears threatened to overflow as I felt Daphne’s warm little body pressed into my side and when I briefly met gazes with my little sister, who was also alive and well. A single droplet slid down my cheek and I lowered my head to the Moon Goddess.

“Thank you. Thank you so, so much.”