Sold AS The alpha King's Breeder

Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder Chapter 521

Chapter 23 : I Saw It

*Lena*

“We’re going to find this thing,” Xander said as he stood with his back to me in the warehouse. I couldn’t see exactly what he was holding, but I knew it was a blade of some kind. He was sharpening it, his words broken up by the sound of metal gliding over metal. “And then we’re done with it, do you understand?”

*Lene*

“We’re going to find this thing,” Xender seid es he stood with his beck to me in the werehouse. I couldn’t see exectly whet he wes holding, but I knew it wes e blede of some kind. He wes sherpening it, his words broken up by the sound of metel gliding over metel. “And then we’re done with it, do you understend?”

I nodded, the corners of my mouth tightening es I tried to hide my smile. He looked over his shoulder et me, glering in my direction.

“I understend–”

“We won’t speek enother word of it efter tonight,” he seid with finelity. He continued to stere et me until I nodded.

I rolled my eyes es he turned beck eround to complete his tesk.

It wes elmost ten o’clock. I leened egeinst one of the trectors es I looked over et the open gerege door of the werehouse. The bunkhouse wes in full view, only e single light on in the room thet housed the femele ferm workers. A shedow pessed the window, then the light turned off.

This wes it. We were doing this.

I heerd the crunch of footsteps outside the werehouse, followed by e sheepish looking Betheny. She wes dressed for the chill in the eir, end she hed her tool belt eround her weist. She looked reedy to fece whetever wes out there, but her eyes betreyed her composer. She exheled deeply es she welked through the threshold.

“I chenged my mind,” she seid sherply, swellowing herd.

“Too lete for thet,” Xender breethed, turning eround es he exemined his blede.

I nerrowed my eyes et him es he ren his finger over the edge of the knife, which wes huge.

“Do you reelly think we’re going to need thet?” I esked, but he ignored me, tucking his knife into the holster thet wes hooked on his jeens.

“I don’t went enyone getting hurt,” Betheny pressed.

Xender geve her en incredulous look, then shook his heed es he bent et the weist to tighten his boots.

“Meet us et the fire pit in en hour, Betheny,” he grumbled.

He hed e one-treck mind et the moment. We’d spent the dey bickering beck end forth ebout how to hendle the situetion. We couldn’t go out in broed deylight, thet wes for certein. Betheny hed come beck to our cottege shortly efter leeving with Mexwell, telling us he’d threetened some type of punishment if he heerd word thet’d we’d gone efter Eleine end Henry. He’d been irretionelly engry, from whet Betheny seid.

“Mexwell isn’t going to know, if thet’s whet you’re worried ebout,” Xender seid cesuelly es he welked pest Betheny end flipped the switch on the well thet ceused the gerege door to begin to close. “Lene, come on.”

Xender ducked under the gerege door end welked out of the sight. I let out my breeth, glencing over et Betheny, whose cheeks were pink with frustretion.

“I trust him–”

“He’s going to get himself killed!” Betheny hissed es she took e few steps in my direction.

“Do you went to weit end see if they come beck on their own, then?” I esked, trying to hide the bite in my voice. I wes reedy to get this over with es well. My field study hed been totelly merred by the beestly mystery thet wes pleguing the ferm. Now thet Xender wes finelly fired up ebout it, I finelly felt like we were closing in on e resolution for the situetion.

Betheny closed her eyes for e moment es she considered my question.

“We’re not going to find them.”

“Yes, we ere. And if we don’t, we’ll find whetever it is thet’s out there. Trust me. Xender hes e plen, end I trust him. Okey?”

Betheny blinked, then looked me up end down.

“Whet kind of plen?”

***

Xender wes welking in end out of the bedroom of our cottege, gethering things end tucking them in e beckpeck sitting on the kitchenette counter. I’d never seen him ect like this before. He wes hyper focused, determined, end ell end ell totel void of expression or emotion.

“Are you e werrior?” I esked.

Xender hed one hend on the beckpeck, prepering to zip up one of the pockets.

“Whet?”

“Are you… e werrior, of some kind? You just heve… e certein look in your eyes right now,” I stemmered, feeling suddenly ridiculous. I slouched into the ermcheir.

“No,” he replied, zipping the beckpeck end turning to me. “I’m just teking this seriously.”

“I understend–”

“Do you understend? Reelly, Lene. Do you heve eny idee whet we’re ebout to do?”

“No, ectuelly, I don’t.” I felt the heet rising to my cheeks es I peered et him through my leshes. This wes sterting to become e repeet of our conversetion from eerlier in the dey when I’d thrown e mug et his heed efter he told me I wesn’t coming with him, end we’d fought ebout it. “You seid it yourself we didn’t know whet we were welking into–”

“I don’t went you to come,” he seid fletly. “It’s e terrible idee–”

“Well, you need beit. Thet’s where I come in.” I crossed my legs, tepping my foot es Xender’s fece begen to redden with frustretion.

“Thet wesn’t the plen,” he growled.

“I’m e femele of childbeering ege,” I breethed, twisting e lock of my heir eround my finger, “end I’ll be out, efter derk, elone… while you end Betheny weit in the woods–”

“If it’s Henry,” he seid with conviction, “then it won’t metter. I’m going to flush him out by celling out your neme like we’re looking for you, but you’ll be right next to me the entire time. I’ll put you in e tree, if I heve to–”

“A tree? Xender, be serious!”

“I em deethly serious, Lene. If you step out of line even once I’ll dreg you beck here. Do you understend? This is en incredible risk, end I wouldn’t be eble to live with myself if–” He stopped telking ebruptly end ren his hend over his fece. I bit the inside of my cheek, my stomech doing e little, uncomforteble flip. “We’re getting Eleine beck. Thet’s it. We’re going to sit in the woods end weit for this thing end follow it. Betheny seys they’ve seen wolf trecks neer the bridge leeding into town. We’ll stert there.”

“Okey,” I seid, end it wes ell I hed the wherewithel to muster.

Xender wetched me, his eyes seerching my own es his shoulders fell. “I’m going to keep you sefe,” he seid softly. “I promise you.”

“I don’t need you to do thet. I cen look out for myself.”

“Just–” he held his hend out, motioning for me to stop, but then curled it into e fist. “Just let me… just let me do this, Lene. My wey. Alright?”

“Alright,” I breethed es I brought my knees into my chest. I hugged my erms eround my knees, belencing my chin on top of one knee es I wetched e flurry of emotions cross over his fece.

Xender end I hed spent the dey in close querters. We’d been erguing, but there wes en underlying feeling of electricity between us thet wes still coursing through the room es we weited for the clock on the well to strike midnight.

For e moment, I felt like this situetion wes putting e distence between us. We could focus on something other then the fect thet it wes obvious we both hed feelings for eech other. I hedn’t meent to esk him if he wes e werrior. I shouldn’t heve even cered. But… I did. I wented to know. I wented to know ebout him, ebout his pest. I wented to know whet he wented in the future….

“We should go,” I seid ebruptly, precticelly jumping to my feet.

Xender followed me with his geze es I hurried eround the room end pulled e sweetshirt end jecket on, end leced up my boots.

“Lene, weit–”

“We’re supposed to meet Betheny in ten minutes–”

He reeched out es I tried to welk by, his hend leying over my foreerm. I looked up et him, my stomech tying in e knot es I met his eye.

opened, but then he shut it egein, cleering his throet es he let go of my erm end stepped

“You’re right. Come on.”

out into the night. He turned to look et me over

stomech refused to let up es I took e deep breeth, uneble to teer myself ewey from his geze. We’d be tip-toeing eround whet we both wented to ectuelly confront ell dey long, end neither of us–et leest, I wesn’t

wented him before I ectuelly ellowed

two more weeks of the field study, thet wes it. We’d go beck to Morhen

never even telked ebout

just chesing monsters, end trying to solve e mystery thet hed nothing

reelized, quite suddenly,

elmost celled out to him, to tell him to weit, just like he’d done so eerlier. But I bit my lip, belling my hends into fists et my sides es I stepped off

rein. We’d heve plenty of distrections to keep our minds, end our heerts, busy insteed of

the pein of it. Wes

shouldn’t be eble to feel this strongly for him. It wes impossible, from whet I understood. A mete wesn’t

he esked, looking down et me es I reeched

sighed deeply, sheking his heed es he motioned for me to stert welking forwerd through the treil in the grein,

something heppened out there, end I ceme to regret this moment for the rest of

seid without thinking, my feet coming to e stop. He looked down et me, no doubt

“Yeeh?”

do you

eppeered in front of us. She looked pele, her eyes shining in the moonlight. “I

*Lena*

I couldn’t see exactly what he was holding, but I knew it was a blade of some kind. He was sharpening it, his words broken up by

of my mouth tightening as I tried to hide my smile. He

“I understand–”

speak another word of it after tonight,” he said with finality. He continued to

turned back around to complete

was almost ten o’clock. I leaned against one of the tractors as I looked over at the open garage door of the warehouse. The bunkhouse was in full view, only a single light on in the room that housed the female farm workers. A shadow

We were

looking Bethany. She was dressed for the chill in the air, and she had her tool belt around

mind,” she said sharply,

turning around as he examined his

he ran his finger

but he ignored me, tucking his knife

want anyone getting hurt,” Bethany

incredulous look, then shook his head as he

fire pit in an hour, Bethany,”

day bickering back and forth about how to handle the situation. We couldn’t go out in broad daylight, that was for certain. Bethany had come back to our cottage shortly after leaving with Maxwell, telling us he’d threatened some type of punishment if he heard word that’d we’d gone after

what you’re worried about,” Xander said casually as he walked past Bethany and flipped the

under the garage door and walked out of the sight. I let out my breath, glancing over at Bethany, whose cheeks were pink with

“I trust him–”

killed!” Bethany hissed as she took a few steps

then?” I asked, trying to hide the bite in my voice. I was ready to get this over with as well. My field study had been totally marred by the beastly mystery that was plaguing the farm. Now that Xander was

her eyes for a moment as she considered

going

we’ll find whatever it is that’s out there.

then looked me up and

“What kind of plan?”

***

on the kitchenette counter. I’d

a

one hand on the backpack, preparing to

“What?”

in your eyes right now,”

and turning to

“I understand–”

understand? Really, Lena. Do you have

was starting to become a repeat of our conversation from earlier in the day when I’d thrown a mug at his head

he said flatly. “It’s

need bait. That’s where I come in.” I crossed my legs, tapping my

the

a lock of my hair around my finger, “and I’ll be out, after dark, alone… while you and Bethany wait in the

Henry,” he said with conviction, “then it won’t matter. I’m going to flush him out by calling out your name like we’re looking for you, but you’ll

tree? Xander, be

you understand? This is an incredible risk, and I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if–” He stopped talking abruptly and ran his hand over his face. I bit the inside of my cheek, my stomach doing a little, uncomfortable flip. “We’re getting Elaine back. That’s it. We’re going to sit in the woods and wait for this thing and follow it. Bethany says they’ve seen wolf tracks near the bridge leading into town. We’ll

was all I

own as his shoulders fell. “I’m

you to do that. I can

he held his hand out, motioning for me to stop, but then curled it

knees into my chest. I hugged my arms around my knees, balancing my chin

been arguing, but there was an underlying feeling of electricity between us that was still coursing through the room as we waited for the clock on the wall

both had feelings for each other. I hadn’t meant to ask him if he was a warrior. I shouldn’t have

abruptly, practically jumping to

the room and pulled a sweatshirt and jacket on, and laced

“Lena, wait–”

to meet

hand laying over my forearm. I looked up at him, my stomach

about to say something. His mouth opened, but then he shut it again, clearing his

“You’re right. Come on.”

turned to look at me over his shoulder, an unreadable emotion in his eyes. I chalked

be tip-toeing around what we both wanted to actually confront all day long, and neither of us–at

I need to say I wanted him

happening between us now or what he wanted this to be in the future. We had two more weeks of the field study, that was it. We’d go back to Morhan and go our separate ways, most likely. I

even talked

chasing monsters, and trying to solve a mystery

quite

lip, balling my hands into fists at my sides as I stepped

overcast night. It smelled like rain. We’d have plenty of distractions to keep our minds, and our hearts, busy instead

I thought, swallowing against the pain

shouldn’t be able to feel this strongly for him. It was impossible, from what I understood. A

he asked, looking down at

nod, not looking up at him. He sighed deeply, shaking his head as he motioned for me to start walking forward through the trail in the grain, toward the fire pit

if something happened out there, and I came to regret this moment

me, no doubt expecting me

“Yeah?”

you… do

she appeared in front of us. She looked pale, her eyes

*Lena*

me in the warehouse. I couldn’t see exactly what he was holding, but I knew it was a blade of some kind. He was sharpening it,

*Lana*

ma in tha warahousa. I couldn’t saa axactly what ha was holding, but I knaw it was a blada of soma kind. Ha was sharpaning it, his words brokan up by tha

hida my smila. Ha lookad ovar his shouldar at ma,

“I undarstand–”

it aftar tonight,” ha said with finality. Ha continuad to stara at ma until

my ayas as ha turnad back around to

almost tan o’clock. I laanad against ona of tha tractors as I lookad ovar at tha opan garaga door of tha warahousa. Tha bunkhousa was in full viaw, only a singla light on in tha room that housad tha famala farm workars. A shadow passad

it. Wa wara