Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder by Alice Knightsky
Chapter 169 Talon’s Punishment
**Ethan’s POV**
‘Alpha, the battle is over.’ Talon reported.
We were attacked again, but my men fought hard, and the border of my territory expanded.
This time, I had a feeling we weren’t just fighting against a group of rogues. We also encountered well-trained military forces. It might have been James’s men, but my instincts told me there were also other forces out there. Someone more dangerous.
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Nevertheless, it didn’t matter because all wolves looked the same to me—especially the dead ones.
The battle waged through an abandoned village near our camp, and as Georgia and I chased the remaining wolves through town, Talon, who was back on the other side of the village, reported our victory,
‘Talon, take those captives over into the woods and dispatch them,’ I told him, catching up to a wolf that was running with a small bag in his mouth. I knocked him onto the ground and tore out his throat in one fluid motion, leaving him reflexively jerking as the bag fell from his mouth. Georgia jumped off my back and whistled. She picked up the bag on the ground and asked curiously, “What was so important that he’d tried to run away with it?”
‘Alpha,’ Talon said back, using the mindlink, ‘it’s against the warriors’ code for us to take their lives.’
A wave of irritation washed over me. Who did my Beta think he was, trying to tell me what was and was not acceptable?
‘Talon, I gave you an order,’ I reiterated.
‘I understand, sir,’ he replied. ‘But some of these prisoners may be King James’s men, if they catch wind of it…’
‘And?’ I asked him. ‘Talon, do as I say, now!’ First, all I knew was they were mingled amongst rogues, so they shouldn’t be treated differently from rogues. Second, they should’ve known their fate when they chose to attack me first.
I had no patience to debate with Talon, so I cut the mindlink off. He knew what had been asked of him.
“Everything okay?” Georgia asked me, breathing heavily from the run.
I nodded. ‘Everything is fine. Or else it better be.’
Georgia had opened the bag. It was filled with jewelry. Valuable loot like this wasn’t commonly seen, but I had little interest.
However, before I turned to walk away, a pearl necklace caught my attention.
“We should figure out where he took this from and give it back,” Georgia noted.
I sneered.
“What?” She was puzzled at my reaction.
Talon, Georgia, or others… they still thought they were heroes to bring justice? We were f*cking rogues, no different than the other savages that we had just killed.
‘If you and Talon don’t want to live and act like rogues, then why don’t you just f’cking go back to Mirage?’
Georgia was beyond confused and shocked at my snarky comment, “Ethan, what the f*ck is wrong with you?” Why was everyone questioning me today?
I narrowed my eyes at her. ‘Stop trying to tell me what to do, Georgia, or you’ll find yourself in the sort of trouble you don’t need or want.’ She opened her mouth a bit, like she wanted to speak, but she couldn’t.
I picked the white pearl necklace up with my mouth and told her, ‘Do whatever the f*ck you want with the rest.’
I trotted off back toward our camp. It was a long way from there since we had claimed more territory.
I needed to have full control of the northern tier. I needed my territory expanded, and I needed more rogues to join us, because Rosalie was here and my son was further north. Anyone who wanted to get to them needed to first be able to get through me.
My forces were much larger now than they had been when I’d first arrived here, even with our loss of numbers on the battlefield, and I had far more wolves and land than I’d had to begin with.
None of that mattered, though, when the one thing I wanted… was so distant from me.
I made it back to camp and went into my tent to shift into my human form and get dressed. I examined the necklace. The moment I saw it, I thought of my Rosalie. Pure and perfect. It would look great on her slender and graceful neck.
The pearls were of the highest quality, and the clasp was made of pure gold.
Last time I made her a flower crown. Sooner or later, I would make her a real crown to go with this necklace.
Happy with the present, I made my way to her tent and picked up some wild flowers in the woods nearby. When I entered her tent, I found her in the same near-catatonic state she’d been in for quite a few days. The uncontrollable anger towards the world seemed to dissipate, and my heart felt heavy in my chest to see her this way.
I would do whatever was needed to snap her out of it.
“Rosalie?” I said, waiting for her to turn and look at me.
She didn’t, so I proceeded into the tent and sat next to her on the cot, facing her. “How are you?” She didn’t even move. Her eyes were focused on the wall, away from me. The last time I’d heard her speak was when I took her out to tell her people to leave her be, and go home.
That was a few days ago.
“I brought you something.” Taking the flowers, I held them under her nose. This action got her to blink a few times and then look down at them.
“Flowers?” she asked me, like she wasn’t sure what they were.
“That’s right,” I told her, and I picked one out to put it behind her ear.
She didn’t dodge like usual, and her whole body was rigid like she was just a statue.
I sighed. “And this.” I held the necklace out for her to see. She lifted her eyelid a little, but again, there was no emotion there. None.
“It’s a pearl necklace,” I told her. “Isn’t it beautiful?” She stared at me blankly.
I kneeled in front of her, put down the flowers on her lap, and the necklace on top of the flowers, but she was like a soulless doll, she didn’t fight, didn’t react.
I led her hand to touch the gifts on her lap. “Rosalie, don’t be like this.”
The scent of the fresh flowers slowly filled the air. Gradually, her eyes seemed to focus back on me.
Her fingers traced over the flowers, gently caressing the petals. Then they brushed the smooth pearls slowly. “Do you like them?” I asked carefully.
Finally, she lifted her gaze and looked at me. She hadn’t spoken for a few days. It seemed that it took her some time to get used to talking again. “Why would I want them, Ethan?”
“Because I want you to be happy.”
“You want your prisoner to be happy? Don’t you think you’ve got the wrong logic?”
“I know you’re still mad at me, but I just think that…”
“Think what? As long as you bring me gifts, I will happily stay here with you?” I pressed my lips tight, tried my best not to argue with her. She scoffed, “What the heck is wrong with you?!”
Her words hurt. I had hoped she’d like the gifts, but she didn’t seem to care at all. She looked away from me again, her eyes refocusing on the wall. “I guess… you don’t want them then,” I said. The heaviness I’d felt in my heart before turned into a stabbing pain.
My mate rejecting me over and over was too much for me. I needed to get out of her presence.
“I’ll see you later, Rosalie,” I told her as I felt like I was fleeing from her tent.
She didn’t even turn to look at me. I needed to do something to distract myself from the thoughts of her, so I went back out into the camp, thinking I should check on the situation with the prisoners. Hopefully, by now, Talon had done what I’d asked him to do.
I saw my Beta on the other end of the camp, speaking to Georgia and Vicky in hushed tones. I looked around and saw a newly erected tent that seemed to have some more people in it, guards standing outside of the door.
“What’s going on?” I asked as I approached.
“Alpha,” he began, his tone cautious. “I wanted to speak with you regarding the prisoners.”
Anger began to course through my veins as I realized he had done the opposite of what I’d asked him to do. “You didn’t take care of them?” I growled.
“Yes, I did.” Talon’s expression was upset. My Beta had no problems killing enemies on the battlefield, but dispatching the captives was something new to him, even though they were ruthless criminals who had blood all over their hands already. “Mostly.”
That meant not all. I felt exasperation rushing through.
“But Alpha, there are a few exceptions.”
“Talon!” I barked, making Vicky jump, and Georgia’s eyes widened in shock. “I gave you an order! I didn’t tell you to bring them back here so that we could discuss whether or not my order was negotiable!”
“Alpha, the ones in there are fairly young, and they’re barely able to shift…”
This was the first time ever my Beta had disobeyed me. Uncontrollable fury rushed through me, and I roared to the guards, “Escort Beta Talon to his tent,” I told them. “Lock him in there and don’t let him leave.”
Turning back to face Talon, I said, “You purposely disobeyed me! Now, not only will you be my prisoner for the rest of your existence, but in the morning, at first dawn, you will receive forty lashes for your disobedience!”
Vicky shrieked and covered her mouth, and I snapped my head and gave her a warning look.
Talon lifted his hands to stop Vicky and Georgia. Then he stared up at me and simply said, “Yes, Alpha.”
The guards grabbed hold of him and began to take him away. He held up his hand and told them, “I can walk myself.”
“No!” Vicky shouted, but I spun around, ignoring her. I couldn’t give a d’mn what she thought.
“Ethan!” Georgia said, grabbing my arm.
I shook her loose and turned to look at her. “Would you like to be next?” I asked her, my teeth clenched together. She glared back at me.
“Look at you! What a f*uc*king pathetic monster you’re becoming!”
“You’re right,” I narrowed my eyes at her. “You are looking at a monster. A monster called the Rogue King!”
With that, I turned around and marched back to my tent, still fuming, ready to kill anyone who crossed my path.