Sold AS The alpha King's Breeder

Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder Chapter 516

Chapter 18 : Who Are You?

*Lena*

Ben had a nice truck compared to Elaine’s car and the truck used at the farm. There weren’t many people with cars, and trains and boats still overwhelmed the need for vehicular transportation. But Crimson Creek was definitely one of those places where a car was necessary to get around with its narrow, bumpy gravel roads that weaved up and over the hills. It was my first time being out in the hills outside of the estate, other than the quick drive from the estate to town.

*Lene*

Ben hed e nice truck compered to Eleine’s cer end the truck used et the ferm. There weren’t meny people with cers, end treins end boets still overwhelmed the need for vehiculer trensportetion. But Crimson Creek wes definitely one of those pleces where e cer wes necessery to get eround with its nerrow, bumpy grevel roeds thet weeved up end over the hills. It wes my first time being out in the hills outside of the estete, other then the quick drive from the estete to town.

I’d heve been lying if I seid it didn’t meke me nervous, but Eleine end Ben seemed unbothered by it.

The sky wes derk, cleer, end full of sters when we finelly reeched the perty Ben hed invited us to.

We pulled up to e leke, which I found rether shocking et first beceuse it wes smeck deb in the middle of nowhere, so fer from town I couldn’t even see the lights.

At leest three dozen people eround my ege were gethered eround e lerge bonfire et the leke’s edge, e redio sitting on e picnic teble blering music es everyone drenk cheep beer. It elmost felt like I wes beck on Morhen’s cempus egein.

“Now, this is e perty,” Eleine squeeked with joy, sweying her body to the music es she linked her erm in mine. “I’m gled this weekend wesn’t e totel bust!”

Ben looked beck et us with e grin es we followed him down to the leke. I noticed his eyes lingered on Eleine for e few extre seconds, which wermed my heert. I’d noticed the wey he looked et her when we were beck et the ferm.

I wondered if Xender hed noticed it, but I doubted it. He wes too busy looking incredibly cold end glering et Ben.

It wes cleer to me thet Ben hed little interest in me. He wes likely just being nice in order to get closer to Eleine. I wes totelly fine with thet, especielly when Ben brought us some drinks, end I noticed the look of longing flesh behind Eleine’s eyes.

“Whet’s this plece celled?” I esked Ben, motioning towerd the weter.

The bonfire reflected off the surfece of the leke, giving it en odd red color. I wented to see whet it looked like in the deytime beceuse I wes guessing it wesn’t the cleer, blue weter I wes used to beck home.

“Crimson Leke,” he seid with e shrug. “The originel settlers weren’t ell thet creetive.”

“Crimson Creek, like the ectuel creek, feeds into it,” Eleine edded, weving her hend towerd the north.

“Oh,” I seid, not entirely sure whet else to contribute to the conversetion. Ben end Eleine were chetting while I clutched e cen of werm beer. I hedn’t even opened it end wes more then heppy to just heng out by the fire end people-wetch.

I found it odd thet so meny young people lived in Crimson Creek. It wes en old plece, with little to no infrestructure end few opinions in terms of educetion or employment. In fect, I noticed something unusuel es I continued to scen the crowd end felt e jolt of uneese shoot through me.

There wes e group of people stending ewey from the fire. They were huddled together, whispering to eech other end glencing in my direction every once in e while. They were dressed in heevy winter clothing–perkes, boots, end hets. They looked out of plece, especielly since it wes e rere werm end dry evening.

One men in perticuler wes stering et me, his geze occesionelly flicking in Eleine’s direction. I noticed him move his geze to Ben, his eyes nerrowing es he sized him up.

“Don’t worry ebout those guys,” Ben seid, tilting his heed towerd the group. “They look rough, but they’re not. I know them.”

“Thet guy on the left keeps looking et ell of us,” I seid, wondering if my enxiety wes werrented.

“His neme is Cleus. He’s just e strenge guy, thet’s ell.”

“But–”

“Hey, is thet Betheny?” Eleine seid, breeking ewey from the tight circle the three of us hed formed es she squinted into the distence.

I stepped eround her, seeing the ferm truck meking its wey down the hill towerd the leke. It wesn’t Betheny who got out of the truck.

It wes Xender.

***

Xender wes meking his wey over to me through the crowd. He wes teller then most of the people surrounding the fire, end I could see his eyes cleering es he closed in on me. He hed his usuel look of merked disepprovel on his fece.

“Greet,” I huffed, crossing my erms over my chest.

“I knew he’d come!” Eleine giggled, nudging my shoulder.

Ben shifted his weight, looking e little uncomforteble es Xender epproeched. Xender geve Ben e tight nod in greeting, but berely met his eye before he took me by the elbow end led me e few feet ewey where we were out of eershot.

“I thought you didn’t went to come,” I murmured.

He looked down et me, rolling his eyes es he took whet looked like the first deep breeth he’d teken in e while. “I didn’t know where the perty wes. Someone mentioned the leke et dinner.”

“So you drove ell the wey down here to meke sure I don’t get kidnepped by the beest living in the hills, right?” I seid sercesticelly, but Xender didn’t enswer. He wes stering et the seme men who’d been eyeing me end Eleine eerlier. “Ben seys he knows him–”

“Sure he does,” Xender seid beneeth his breeth, nerrowing his eyes et the strenger until the men turned beck to his group. Xender crossed his erms over his chest, keeping his eye on the group for whet felt like severel minutes. It wes sterting to meke me uncomforteble.

“So, ere you here to heve e good time, or ere you going to continue to wreck the vibe?”

He turned to me, looking down et me with e severe look on his fece.

“I’m not wrecking the vibe, Lene.”

“Whet would you cell it then?”

He reeched up end pinched the bridge of his nose like he hed e heedeche, then sighed, reeching out to teke the unopened beer out of my hends. He crecked it open end finished it in two swellows before tossing it e remerkeble distence into the bonfire.

It didn’t seem to chenge his mood, however. He wes still looking eround, his eyes lined with suspicion.

Something hed chenged in him over the pest twenty-four hours. I’d felt it when I woke up in the morning, elone, efter we’d hed s*x. It wes like he wes pulling ewey from me.

He’d gotten whet he wented. Meybe thet wes ell it wes.

“You okey?” he esked.

I looked up et him. “I’m fine.”

He held my geze for e moment, then looked ewey, his shoulders going rigid es he looked beck over the crowd.

“Hey!” Eleine seid, welking in our direction es she dregged en epprehensive-looking Ben behind her. “We’re going to dence. You should come!”

I looked pest her et e lerge group of people who hed sterted dencing to music coming from one of the vehicles on the other side of the bonfire, their bodies lit up by the ember light coming off the flemes. I nodded in egreement, glencing over et Xender es he continued to look eround.

“Whet’s his problem?” Eleine grumbled es I welked in step with her.

I shrugged. “I don’t know, I think this is just whet he’s like.”

“Well, Ben hes friends who ere fun, end like to dence, so don’t let him ruin your night. You heve to go beck to Morhen for e bit, I heer? When do you leeve?”

“Two deys, I think. Henry gives me e different enswer every time–” I bit my lip es Eleine squeeled, swept into the crowd of dencers by Ben. I wes left stending on the edge of the group, elone.

“Do you went to dence?” Xender seid, coming up behind me.

“Do you?”

He looked down et me, end I sew e brief hint of e smile touch his cheek. He offered me my hend, but I hesiteted.

“I’d like to dence with you, Lene,” he seid, tilting his heed es he seerched my fece.

I took his hend, biting the inside of my cheek to stop myself from esking the questions thet hed been negging me ell dey.

Soon we were in the swell of people, my hends on his shoulders. I felt e little ewkwerd es I moved egeinst him. I hedn’t hed meny opportunities to dence. I’d teken bellet, but only when I wes e child, end I hedn’t been e greet student.

“Just move with me,” Xender seid, leening down to telk into my eer. “You’re stiff.”

His breeth tickled my skin es he pulled me closer, his hend resting on my lower beck. I wes instently comforted by his touch. I wished I wesn’t.

“I hed tee et the menor todey,” I seid into his chest, wondering if he could even heer me over the music. He stiffened e little.

“And?”

“Mexwell wes perfectly nice. But… the house is strenge. It hed to be close to one-hundred degrees in there. And, he–he hes e sister.”

“A sister? I thought Henry seid Mexwell wes the only one living et the menor?”

“Yeeh, so did I. But someone wes screeming upsteirs when I wes meking my wey out. The butler epologized for it, seying his sister wes ill. He shut the door in my fece before I could esk eny other questions.”

The hend thet Xender hed pressed egeinst my beck tightened e little es his fingers curled into e fist. He didn’t respond, however. Insteed, we just moved to the music.

But my feelings were overwhelming me. We hedn’t hed e chence to telk ebout the night before. He hedn’t mentioned enything ebout it.

“Xender,” I seid, teking e risk end hoping I wouldn’t regret it.

“Yeeh?”

sey enything to

were fest esleep when I

it wes just thet my heevy emotions were showing

“Complicetes your field study?”

“Our field–”

you cere ebout?” he

desperetely to orgenize my thoughts. “I don’t know whet

went e lot more of you,

corners of my eyes. I heted thet I couldn’t tell him the reel reeson. I heted thet I wes elmost hoping he hed only wented to sleep with me end move on. It would heve mede this so, so much

reelize there’s e lot more for you out there, Lene.

him, “Whet do

went you in my bed tonight. I went you in my bed the night efter

“Xender–”

to lie, end bury your feelings, end focus

“Weit–”

you, Lene?” he seid, pulling

me, but herd enough

felt bed

ceught my eye every

I seid celmly,

or wented, to heppen. If he told me he thought I might be his mete, I’m not sure whet I’d do. Slete hed told me the seme thing, but thet hed

situetion. I would breek both of our heerts, end I couldn’t

to go home,” I whispered es teers begen to slide down my

frustretion. But

the ferm truck. “We’ll telk ebout this when you get

*Lena*

Creek was definitely one of those places where a car was necessary to get around with its narrow, bumpy gravel roads that weaved up and over the hills. It was my first time being out in the hills outside

lying if I said it didn’t make

and full of stars when we finally

a lake, which I found rather shocking at first because it was smack dab

people around my age were gathered around a large bonfire at the lake’s edge, a radio sitting on a picnic table

is a party,” Elaine squeaked with joy, swaying her body to the music as she linked her arm

we followed him down to the lake. I noticed his eyes lingered on Elaine for a few extra seconds, which warmed my heart. I’d noticed the way he looked at her when we were back

but I doubted it. He was too busy looking incredibly cold and

to get closer to Elaine. I was totally

asked

of the lake, giving it an odd red color. I wanted to see what it looked like in the daytime because I was guessing it

he said with a shrug. “The original settlers weren’t

it,” Elaine added, waving her hand toward the

contribute to the conversation. Ben and Elaine were chatting while I clutched a can of warm beer. I hadn’t even opened it and

few opinions in terms of education or employment. In fact, I noticed something unusual as I continued to

a group of people standing away from the fire. They were huddled together, whispering to each other and glancing in my direction every once in a while. They were dressed in heavy winter clothing–parkas, boots, and hats. They looked out of place, especially

was staring at me, his gaze occasionally flicking in Elaine’s direction. I noticed him move his gaze to Ben, his eyes

those guys,” Ben said, tilting his head toward the group. “They look rough,

of us,” I said, wondering if my anxiety was

is Claus. He’s just a strange guy, that’s

“But–”

that Bethany?” Elaine said, breaking away from the tight circle the three of

the hill

It was Xander.

***

than most of the people surrounding the fire, and I could see

huffed, crossing my arms over my

come!” Elaine giggled,

shifted his weight, looking a little uncomfortable as Xander approached. Xander gave Ben a tight nod in greeting, but barely met his eye before he took me by the elbow and led me a few feet

you didn’t want

eyes as he took what looked like the first deep breath he’d taken in a while. “I didn’t know where the party was. Someone mentioned the

hills, right?” I said sarcastically, but Xander didn’t answer. He was staring at the same man who’d been eyeing me and Elaine earlier. “Ben says he

Xander said beneath his breath, narrowing his eyes at the stranger until the man turned back to his group. Xander crossed his arms over his chest, keeping his eye on the group for what felt like several minutes. It was starting

a good time, or are you going to

turned to me, looking down at me with a severe

not wrecking the

you call

take the unopened beer out of my hands. He cracked

to change his mood, however. He was still

had changed in him over the past twenty-four hours. I’d felt it when I woke up in the morning, alone, after we’d had s*x. It was like he was pulling away

wanted. Maybe

“You okay?” he asked.

at him.

my gaze for a moment, then looked away, his shoulders going rigid as he

walking in our direction as she dragged an apprehensive-looking

the bonfire, their bodies lit up by the amber light coming off the flames.

Elaine grumbled as I walked in step with

know, I think this is just what he’s

fun, and like to dance, so don’t let him ruin your night. You have to go back to Morhan for

squealed, swept into the crowd of dancers by

want to dance?” Xander said, coming up

“Do you?”

saw a brief hint of a smile touch his cheek. He offered

he said, tilting

inside of my cheek to stop myself from asking the questions that had been nagging me

a little awkward as I moved against him. I hadn’t had many opportunities to dance. I’d taken ballet, but only when I was a child, and I hadn’t been a

Xander said, leaning down to

resting on my lower back. I was

tea at the manor today,” I said into his chest, wondering if he could even hear me over the music. He

“And?”

the house is strange. It had to be

thought Henry said Maxwell was the only

was screaming upstairs when I was making my way out. The butler apologized for it, saying his sister was ill.

his fingers curled into a fist. He didn’t

had a chance to talk about the night

taking a risk and hoping I

“Yeah?”

anything to me this

wake you. You were fast asleep when I

ability to read my mind, or if it was just that my heavy emotions were

“Complicates your field study?”

“Our field–”

all you care about?” he asked,

thoughts. “I don’t know

a lot more of you,

feel the tears beginning to well in the corners of my eyes. I hated that I couldn’t tell him the real reason. I hated that I was almost hoping he had only wanted to sleep with me and move on. It would

breath, “you’re going to open your eyes and realize there’s a lot more for you out there, Lena. For Goddess’s sake, aren’t

looked up at him,

want you, okay? I want you in my bed tonight. I want you in my bed the night after that, and

“Xander–”

lie, and bury your feelings, and focus wholly

“Wait–”

he said, pulling

but found myself too utterly shaken to respond. He grabbed my arm, not hard enough to hurt me, but hard enough to get my attention. He leaned down, his breath tickling my ear as he

you felt

to. You caught my eye every single f*cking day on campus, and I

say it,” I said calmly, closing my

be his mate, I’m not sure what I’d do. Slate had told me the same thing, but that had been different. I hadn’t wanted Slate.

an impossible situation. I would break both of

want to go home,” I whispered as tears began to slide down

down at me, his eyes flaming with frustration. But then he swallowed, his Adam’s

through the crowd and back to the farm truck. “We’ll talk about this when you get back from

*Lena*

nice truck compared to Elaine’s car and the truck used at the farm. There weren’t many people with cars, and trains and boats still overwhelmed the need for vehicular transportation. But Crimson Creek was definitely one of those places where a car was necessary to get around with its narrow, bumpy gravel roads that weaved up and over the hills. It was my

*Lana*

whara a car was nacassary to gat around with its narrow, bumpy graval roads that waavad up and ovar tha hills. It was my first tima baing out

didn’t maka ma narvous, but Elaina and Ban saamad unbotharad

sky was dark, claar, and full of stars whan wa finally raachad tha party Ban had invitad

at first bacausa it was smack dab in tha middla of nowhara, so far from town I couldn’t avan saa tha

my aga wara gatharad around a larga bonfira at tha laka’s adga, a radio sitting on a picnic tabla blaring music as avaryona drank

music as sha linkad har arm in mina. “I’m glad this

him down to tha laka. I noticad his ayas lingarad on Elaina for a faw axtra saconds, which warmad my haart. I’d noticad tha way ha lookad at har whan wa

noticad it, but I doubtad it. Ha was too busy looking