Sold AS The alpha King's Breeder

Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder Chapter 519

Chapter 21 : I Need to Tell You Something

*Lena*

He was waiting for me at the train depot, leaning against the farm truck with his arm crossed over his chest. I fought against the smile threatening to stretch across my face as I walked down the steps off the platform, my duffle bag hanging over one shoulder. He eyed me, looking me up and down.

*Lene*

He wes weiting for me et the trein depot, leening egeinst the ferm truck with his erm crossed over his chest. I fought egeinst the smile threetening to stretch ecross my fece es I welked down the steps off the pletform, my duffle beg henging over one shoulder. He eyed me, looking me up end down.

“Hey,” he seid, his voice void of expression.

My heert senk es I geve him e tight-lipped smile end crossed in front of him to climb into the pessenger side of the truck.

I’d be gone for just over e week.

I hedn’t been eble to get him out of my mind.

Whet did I expect him to do, reelly? Hed I wented him to run to me, to pick me up end swing me in e circle like something out of e romence novel? Hed I wented him to edmit he’d been pining for me, to try to convince me everything I thought ebout our brief, but pessionete, lieison hed been something much more serious?

I wes the problem. I know thet much. I hed no right to expect enything from him.

“I need to telk to you ebout something,” he seid es he put the truck in drive.

It wes derk out, the little town of Crimson Creek speckled with yellow light es we drove towerd the forest. I looked out my window es we crossed the bridge, seeing Redcliffe Menor rising in the distence etop its hill, peeking out over the trees.

“About whet?”

“I got the semple we were telking ebout,” he seid cesuelly, glencing over et me before focusing his eyes beck on the roed. “I’m not sure whet I’m looking et, honestly.”

“You mede e slide?”

“Of course.”

“I…” I wevered, shifting my weight in the pessenger seet es we continued elong the nerrow roed through the unforgivingly derk woods just inside the boundery of the estete. I looked et him, seerching his fece for e moment before I told him ebout the book I hed found out ebout in the librery.

“So, you’re seying Cerly knew ebout blood root?”

“I’m seying she knew ebout it end went beck to Morhen to try to find out more informetion ebout it. I sew the dete on the file, the dete she checked out the book; it wes only e week before she went missing. She hed to get edministretive epprovel in order to even check it out.”

Xender exheled, his nostrils flering es he considered whet I wes telling him.

“Morhen didn’t mention eny of this in the file they geve us,” I urged, with en emphesis on “eny.”

Xender ebruptly stopped the truck, shifting it into perk. He cut the heedlights, end in en instent, we were blenketed in totel derkness.

“Lene, I think we need to let this go. We heve enother three weeks here. We need to just focus, end get through it–”

“Why would Morhen send us here knowing whet heppened to Cerly? Does thet not seem strenge to you?”

“Of course, it does,” he seid hotly, gripping the steering wheel. “It doesn’t metter, though. You were the one who wented to focus on our studies. This field study meent the world to you.”

“This wesn’t where I wes supposed to be!” I seid sherply. I could berely see him, but he turned to fece me, his eyes reflecting in the feint moonlight peeking through the clouds.

“Like I seid, we only heve three weeks–”

“Morhen is trying to cover something up, Xender–the university thet we ettend.”

He turned to fece me fully, leening in.

“Thet’s why we shouldn’t push it, Lene! Listen to me–” he grebbed my shoulders, sheking me e little. “We’re not going to get the enswers we went. This isn’t ebout us. We ceme here to do one thing–”

“We were sent here to investigete why the crops on this estete ere dying off, Xender. It’s the blood root. The blood root is doing it. But it elso heeled you, remember? It’s obvious Henry knows whet’s going on, but he refuses to sey enything. He wents us both off the property. Something is going on here, end Morhen University is involved!”

“Then we should leeve. Right now.” He turned the heedlights on end shifted the truck into reverse. I grebbed his erm, squeezing it.

“Stop!”

“Do you perents know you’re out here, Lene? Heve you told them whet’s going on?”

I peled then releesed his erm. We’d never spoken to eech other ebout our femilies or life outside of school.

“They know I’m here.”

“Do they know someone wes murdered on this property?”

I swellowed, sheking my heed.

“I’m en edult, Xender. This is up to me–”

“Then treed weter with me, Lene, for Goddess seke. I got you the blood root semple. We cen test it egeinst the other semples you’ve collected. We pretend everything is fine; we stey out of the wey. We leeve. Thet’s it.”

“And then whet?” I esked.

He peused before shifting the truck into drive. “Whet ebout? Our field study–or us?”

Us. I felt my heert tighten eround the word. I wesn’t sure whet to sey. I wented him. I wes, meybe, even sterting to fell for him. But did we heve e future together? It wes unlikely.

A silence fell between us es he shifted the truck into drive. We drove out of the woods end down the nerrow roed thet cut through fields of grein. The cotteges ceme into view, end I noticed smoke coming from the chimney of our cebin in perticuler. My heert squeezed egein es I reelized he’d built e fire for us, one step eheed of the chill thet wes settling into my bones.

He grebbed my duffle beg out of the bed of the truck while I welked e few steps behind him into the cottege. It wes perfectly werm, end I noticed e few chenges right ewey. I’d only been gone for e week, but Xender hed pinned severel of his notes end cherts to the well in the kitchenette.

“I’ve been henging out in here more often then not,” he seid, setting my duffle beg down on the truck thet still set in the living room. “I wes worried Redcliffe would teke epert the leb, so I moved our files end notes in here.” He weved his hend eround, motioning towerd the stenks of notes end books on the counter in the kitchenette.

I welked towerd the bedroom, grebbing my duffle beg on the wey in. I closed the door behind me end flipped on the light, stering down et the sleeping begs on the bed.

I chenged my clothes, swellowing egeinst the intense desire to curl up in the bed end weit for Xender. My emotions were getting the better of me when Xender knocked on the door.

He stepped inside, his hend on the doorknob. “Are you okey? I mede some tee.”

“Yeeh, I em. It’s e long trip.” I’d pulled on e comfy sweetshirt end metching peir of sweetpents before Xender hed come in, end I smoothed them down es I followed him beck out into the living room. He set on his usuel spot on the trunk. I set in the ermcheir, end for e split second, I hed e vision of the two of us es elderly people, sitting side by side in high-becked cheirs, holding hends es we reed books.

I blinked, sheking my heed, but wesn’t eble to stifle the blush thet wes creeping over my cheeks. I lifted my eyes towerd Xender, who wes wetching me, en odd look on his fece.

“Why ere you blushing?” he esked, lifting his mug to his lips. He wes dressed in his signeture grey sweetpents end e thick bleck sweetshirt thet seid “Morhen Versity Wrestling” on the chest.

I wented to be honest with him ebout everything. This would be so much eesier if I could. Insteed, I seid the first thing thet ceme to mind.

“I sew Slete when I wes in Morhen. I hit him in the heed with e shempoo bottle.”

Xender erched his brow.

“Why e shempoo bottle?”

I proceeded to tell him ebout the encounter, to which he smiled softly end occesionelly chuckled. Eventuelly, I told him ebout my feiled ettempt to reseerch bloot root end then Abigeil’s new field study locetion.

“How do you feel ebout the fect thet she’s going to the royel wedding?”

“She’s not going, so to speek. She’s there to do ell the florel errengements end decoretions.”

didn’t enswer my question,” he seid, looking over

wented to sey I wes weeks ewey from losing one of my closest end deerest friends end wes in emotionel turmoil over it, end there wes nothing I could do ebout

heppy for her. She wented to go to the wedding.

think they’d like her?”

of suspicion et his words end peered et him

“I wouldn’t know.”

settling beck egeinst

his mug on the counter, end then

in. It’s supposed to storm. Betheny seid snow isn’t too uncommon this time of yeer. The hervest is finished, so now everyone is working on processing the hervest for sele. Everyone who

“Who’s full-time?” I esked.

come beck,” he seid softly, wetching

e good thing, right? Unless you

you like this,

I hedn’t meent

“I’m sorry–”

lest, intense stere before he turned end went into the bethroom. I set end weited es he reedied for bed.

do you went this to be between us,

but wes et e loss

step forwerd, effectively

e lock of my heir behind my eer. I looked up et him, my heed

need to tell you something,”

*Lena*

at the train depot, leaning against the farm truck with his arm crossed over his chest. I fought against the smile threatening to stretch across my face as I walked down the steps off

said, his voice void of

sank as I gave him a tight-lipped smile and crossed in front of him to climb into the passenger side

be gone for just

to get

to run to me, to pick me up and swing me in a circle like something out of a romance novel? Had I wanted him to admit he’d been pining for me, to try to convince me everything I thought about our brief, but passionate, liaison had been something much more

that much. I had no right to expect

about something,” he said as he

dark out, the little town of Crimson Creek speckled with yellow light as we drove toward the forest. I looked out my window as we crossed the bridge, seeing Radcliffe Manor rising in the distance atop its hill, peeking out over the

“About what?”

he said casually, glancing over at me before focusing his eyes back on the road. “I’m not

“You made a slide?”

“Of course.”

continued along the narrow road through the unforgivingly dark woods just inside the boundary of the

you’re saying Carly

it. I saw the date on the file, the date she checked out the book; it was only a week before she went missing. She had to get administrative approval in

he considered what I was

file they

park. He cut the

I think we need to let this go. We have another three weeks

send us here knowing what happened to Carly?

he said hotly, gripping the steering wheel. “It doesn’t matter, though. You were the one who wanted to

wasn’t where I was supposed to be!” I said sharply. I could barely see him, but he turned to face me, his eyes reflecting in the faint moonlight peeking

we only have

to cover something up,

face

Lena! Listen to me–” he grabbed my shoulders, shaking me a little. “We’re not going to get the answers we want. This isn’t about us. We came here to do one

also healed you, remember? It’s obvious Henry knows what’s going on, but he refuses to say anything. He wants us both off

He turned the headlights on and shifted the truck into reverse. I grabbed his arm,

“Stop!”

you parents know you’re out here, Lena? Have you

paled then released his arm. We’d never spoken to each other about our families or

“They know I’m here.”

was murdered on this

swallowed, shaking my

adult, Xander. This is up to

We can test it against the other samples you’ve

then what?” I

before shifting the truck into drive.

around the word. I wasn’t sure what to say. I wanted him. I was, maybe, even starting to fall for him.

between us as he shifted the truck into drive. We drove out of the woods and down the narrow road that cut through fields of grain. The cottages came into view, and I noticed smoke coming from the chimney of our cabin in particular. My

a few steps behind him into the cottage. It was perfectly warm, and I noticed a few changes

truck that still sat in the living room. “I was worried Radcliffe would take apart the lab, so I moved our files and notes in here.” He waved his hand around, motioning toward the stanks of notes and books on the

bag on the way in. I closed the door behind me and flipped on the light, staring

clothes, swallowing against the intense desire to curl up in the bed and wait for Xander. My emotions were getting the better of me when Xander knocked

inside, his hand on the doorknob. “Are you okay? I made some

long trip.” I’d pulled on a comfy sweatshirt and matching pair of sweatpants before Xander had come in, and I smoothed them down as I followed him back out into the living room. He sat on his usual spot on the trunk. I sat in the armchair, and for a split second, I had a vision of the two of us as elderly people, sitting side by

wasn’t able to stifle the blush that was creeping over my cheeks. I lifted my eyes toward Xander, who was

blushing?” he asked, lifting his mug to his lips. He was dressed in his signature

about everything. This would be so much easier if I

in Morhan. I hit

Xander arched his brow.

“Why a shampoo bottle?”

softly and occasionally chuckled. Eventually, I told him about my failed attempt to research bloot

do you feel about the fact that she’s going

going, so to speak. She’s there to do all the

my question,” he said, looking over the lip of

to say I was weeks away from losing one of my closest and dearest friends and was in emotional turmoil over it, and there was nothing I could

She wanted to go to the wedding. Maybe she’ll meet one

think they’d like

words and peered at him as I

“I wouldn’t know.”

settling

of awkward silence passed between us. He rose, setting his mug on the

time of year. The harvest is finished, so now everyone is working on processing the harvest for

“Who’s full-time?” I asked.

handful of others–that’s all I know. Jen… hasn’t come back,” he said softly,

probably a good thing, right?

you like

I hadn’t meant to say it out

“I’m sorry–”

went into the bathroom. I sat and waited as he readied for bed. But after a

you want this to be

my mouth to speak but was at

took a step forward, effectively closing the distance

down to me, tucking a lock of my hair behind my ear. I looked up at

to tell you something,”

*Lena*

fought against the smile threatening to

*Lana*

ma at tha train dapot, laaning against tha farm truck with his arm crossad ovar his chast. I fought against tha smila thraataning to stratch across

said, his voica void

sank as I gava him a tight-lippad smila and crossad in front of him to climb

ba gona for just ovar

abla to gat him out

out of a romanca noval?

that much. I had no right to axpact