Sold AS The alpha King's Breeder

Chapter 23 Sharing A Room with Him

Lightning illuminated the sky above us, and I wrapped the raincoat Warren had packed for me tighter, but it wasn’t doing me a whole lot of good.

To avoid being tracked down by the city security, who reported directly to Theo, we intentionally avoided public transportation until we got outside of the greater capital city

area.

It had been raining for hours, and I was beginning to feel drowsy from trudging through the mud in such foul weather. I sneezed, again, this time barely getting my arm up to cover my face, and I willed myself to keep walking.

Warren was concerned about me, and he had been for the last few hours since I’d begun to cough and sneeze. He wanted to shift and let me climb on his back, but I’d refused. We would save that for if we were in danger. Right now, I was miserable, but I wasn’t going to die.

“I see city lights off in the distance, Ciana,” he told me. “We’re almost to a town.”

His words entered my mind, but I was having trouble processing them. Unless it was a town with a giant bubble over the top of it that would protect me from the rain, I didn’t

care.

Trudging on, I began to lose most of my conscious thought. I just continued to lift one foot and then the other. Eventually, I

noticed that Warren was guiding me, his arm around me, and then, the mud of the forest changed to open green grass, to pavement, to a sidewalk… to steps.

“Where are we going?” I muttered.

“A hotel,” he explained. “You need to rest and recover.”

“Let’s find a small one,” I mumbled my explanation. “Fewer security cameras around.”

“Good point!” He chuckled under his breath and commented, “You surprise me all the time, you know that?”

“Goodness gracious!” a loud female voice proclaimed. “You poor dears look half drowned.”

“Yes, we need a couple of rooms, please,” Warren explained to her as I leaned against his side to keep from falling over.

“I’m afraid I only have one,” the woman said. “But it’s got a big bed in it.”

“That will do.” Warren held on to me as he fished out payment for the room from beneath his raincoat, and I wrapped my arm around his middle to steady myself, my eyes locked on the floor where a puddle was forming from all the water dripping off of me.

I wanted to apologize to the custodial staff for making such a

mess.

Halfway up the stairs, I lost my footing and almost tumbled back down, despite Warren’s grip on me.

“All right, that’s it,” he proclaimed, and the next thing I knew, I was being lifted off of the steps into his arms. I didn’t protest. Even if I’d wanted to, the words wouldn’t come out of my mouth.

Once we were in the room, he helped me out of my raincoat, and then I insisted that I could change into dry clothes myself. I went into the bathroom and took a shower with very warm water, which I enjoyed.

changed. He looked at me very

him, but even that seemed

has left your immune system weak, Ciana. Climb into bed, and I’ll get

stomach protested the thought of putting anything inside of it, but I didn’t have a problem crawling into the nice warm bed. The next thing I knew, a spoon was being coaxed into my mouth. I split my lips and slurped up the broth,

Had I fallen asleep?

Then he said, “I’ll go see if I

establishment. “No…” I muttered; my mind was cloudy. “It’s not safe. You’ll catch a fever… and…

chuckled under his breath. “I think I’ll be okay. I take

good

“Unlike what?”

felt I couldn’t think straight, but it

I don’t disagree with you, I know you’re delirious

My head lolled to the side, and I noticed the print on the wallpaper. It was a fleur-de-lis print, white on gray,

to say something to Warren, he was

tossing and turning. I had vague recollections of someone helping me with liquids

and although I couldn’t remember the details, I knew they were about my

for one. Maybe it was more

that Theo had

a start, much like I had when I’d snapped out

streaming in through the window, and Warren was sitting in

sleeping beauty awakens!” he teased, causing me

long was I asleep?” I stretched my arms

while,” he said with a

rain to get me medicine and fed me soup.

but he nodded.

He was such a good man. “We should be on our

now.”

I felt my heart skip a beat. “I seriously doubt they are. Besides, it’s getting kind of late. It’s been a bright, sunny day, but it’ll be dark in just a couple of hours. It would be better if we continued our journey tomorrow when we’ll have all

do me any good to try to talk him out of it,

idea,” he said.

full of bright flowers that have

the suggestion and headed into the restroom to make myself somewhat presentable. I looked like I had slept for a long time, that was for sure. My

but chuckle at

quaint bench beneath a tree full of fuchsia blooms, next to several rose bushes in a variety of vibrant colors made me feel at peace for the first time

positive thoughts, but my mind kept going back over everything that had happened in the castle. I thought about Prince Theo and how, for a while, I’d thought perhaps he truly could be kind when he wanted

abruptly when he’d had me thrown in prison for doing nothing wrong. No, I was certain now that he truly was as ruthless as everyone

what had unfolded while

a dream

parts seemed like

there was Warren. My long-lost

times if he had any memory whatsoever of being in

I hadn’t had the courage to