The Lycan’s King Breeder

Felicity

POV

Ava and i walked into the market and immediately felt the tension in the air. The villagers were talking in hushed tones, looking over their shoulders as they whispered to one another. Ava tugged at my sleeve, making me stop in her tracks. "Do you feel that?" she asked, her eyes darting around the market.

I shook my head, unsure what Ava was getting at. "Feel what?"

"The atmosphere," Ava whispered, her eyes scanning the crowd. "It's different. Everyone seemed on edge."

"Something's not right," Ava said, grasping my arm.

I looked around, and Ava was right. The usual chattering and laughter had been replaced by hushed whispers and furtive glances. Something was definitely up.

I nodded, feeling my heart race. "I know. Everyone seemed suspicious. It's making me nervous."

As we made our way towards our favorite vegetable stall, we overheard two women talking in low voices.

"Did you hear?" one of them said, her tone anxious. "The men of the alpha from the neighboring kingdom are coming to collect taxes, and who knows what else?"

My stomach turned, realizing what this meant.

"Shh!" the other woman hissed. "Don't talk about that here. You don't want to get caught spreading rumors."

Ava and I shared a worried look, knowing that rumors often had some truth to them.

"What's going on?" Ava stopped and asked one of the vendors.

He shook his head, looking around before lowering his voice. "Not sure. People have been acting strangely all morning. A few of them were talking about some kind of trouble in the village." As we continued through the market, we overheard more whispers about the alpha and his men.

We kept hearing snippets of conversation.

We heard more whispers and rumors. It felt like everyone was in on it, and no one wanted to speak out loud.

"I heard the men from the alpha's kingdom are coming to collect taxes," one woman whispered.

"Did you hear about the Breeder?" another man said. "Apparently, the alpha had his servants find one that looked just like he wanted."

My blood ran cold at the mention of the word "Breeder." It brought back memories of my time in Maximus' kingdom, where I had been forced to bear his child as a Breeder.

Ava noticed my reaction and put a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Hey, it's okay. We'll figure this out together."

I was trying to contain myself "I'm just worried about the villagers and us" I lied. I didn't want her to suspect anything.

As we continued to walk, we saw that many of the villagers were avoiding us or giving us suspicious looks.

"Hey! What's going on?" I asked a woman selling vegetables.

The woman cast a furtive glance around before leaning in and whispering, "The alpha men are coming, and they're not to be trusted. They've been known to take what they want, whether it's taxes or women."

My stomach churned at the thought of being taken by the alpha's men. I knew I had to be careful, but I didn't want to leave just yet. I had come to the market to buy supplies for my journey, and I didn't want to leave empty-handed.

As I was browsing through the stalls, I heard a commotion behind me. I turned around to see a group of men entering the market, dressed in the colors of the neighboring alpha's kingdom.

Many of the villagers who had been talking in hushed tones before now fell silent, looking down at their feet.

I felt a sense of unease as I watched the men move through the market, inspecting everything in sight. I saw the villagers scampering out of their way, as though afraid to get too close. Suddenly, a group of men split off from the rest and headed straight towards Ava and me.

My heart raced as I tried to figure out what to do. Should we run? Should we try to fight?

I looked at Ava and saw the fear in her eyes. We had to think quickly.

"Follow my lead," I whispered to her, trying to keep my voice steady.

The men approached us, their eyes scanning us from head to toe. I could feel their gazes lingering on me, and my skin crawled.

"Stay here," I whispered to Ava, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Ava nodded, looking frightened.

The men approached us, leering at me and making her feel vulnerable.

"Hello, ladies," one of them said, his voice dripping with malice. "What are two pretty girls like you doing in a place like this?"

I stood her ground, refusing to let them intimidate her.

"What do you want?" Ava demanded, trying to sound confident and unafraid.

One of the men sneered at her before turning to me. "What's a pretty thing like you doing out here?"

Ava stepped closer to me, and I could see the panic in her eyes. I put a protective arm around her, trying to convey a sense of strength and solidarity.

"We're just here to buy supplies," I said, my voice shaking slightly.

The men exchanged a knowing look before one of them reached out and grabbed my arm.

The man chuckled. "Well, we're here to collect taxes. And we might just have to take something a little extra as well."

"You girls look like you could use some company," the second said with a cruel grin.

I pulled away, trying to free myself from his grasp. "Let go of me!"

The men laughed, and I could feel myself growing angrier by the second. These men had no right to treat us this way.

As I struggled against the man's grip, Ava raised her voice. "We don't need your company. Just let us go."

The men continued to block our path, not budging an inch. "Oh come on, we're just trying to have a little fun," the second man mocked.

I glared at them, feeling my blood boil. "You have no right to touch us or talk to us like that. Now, step aside and let us pass."

The first man stepped forward, getting closer to me. "Or what? You gonna make us?"

I took a deep breath and clenched my fists. "If we have to."

They burst out laughing as if I had told a very funny joke. And without another word, I swung my bag at him, hitting him square in the face. He stumbled back, clutching his bleeding nose.

The second man lunged at me, but Ava stepped in front of me, brandishing her pepper spray. "Back off," she warned.

The men hesitated for a moment before advancing towards us dangerously, Ava sprayed the spray on his face, and the man screamed and writhed in pain.