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.

I returned to the room wearing fresh dry clothes, Warren had also changed. He looked at me very concerned. “I

that seemed to be moving in

you being in that hideous dungeon for all of that time has left your immune system weak, Ciana. Climb into bed, and I’ll get you some

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

Had I fallen asleep?

Then he said, “I’ll go see if

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

think I’ll be

good

“Unlike what?”

Um, my head was so heavy and I felt I couldn’t think straight, but it

I don’t disagree with you, I know

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

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

and although I couldn’t remember the details,

for one. Maybe it was more of a

Theo had been kissing

with a start,

was

beauty awakens!” he teased,

was I asleep?” I stretched

a grin. “How do

how he’d gone out in the rain to get me medicine

he nodded. “I wanted

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

now.”

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 day

to try to talk him out of it, so I nodded. “All right then. I’m going to go outside and get some fresh

a good idea,” he said. “There’s

around back, full of bright flowers that have flourished after

thanked him for 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

couldn’t help but chuckle

outside and quickly found the courtyard he’d been speaking of. It was lovely. Sitting down on a quaint bench beneath a tree full of fuchsia blooms, next

had happened in the castle. I thought about Prince Theo and how, for a while, I’d thought

when he’d had me thrown in prison for doing nothing wrong. No, I was certain now

what had unfolded while I was at the

a dream to

parts seemed

Warren. My long-lost childhood

had any memory whatsoever of being in the woods in a faraway land

the courage