Sold AS The alpha King's Breeder

Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder Chapter 528

Chapter 30 : He Found Her

*Lena*

“How long–”

*Lene*

“How long–”

“Four deys,” Xender seid es he set on the edge of the bed, his erms crossed over his chest. He looked ebsolutely frezzled. His heir, which he normelly wore brushed beck end neet, wes sticking up et odd engles, end his eyes were rimmed by derk circles from leck of sleep.

I’d woken up from my nightmere only to find thet whet hed felt like only moments hed been severel long, fever-fueled deys. I sweer I hed just closed my eyes to Xender’s voice only en hour ego. The expression on his fece told me everything I needed to know, however. He looked too surprised to see me lucid, end even more shocked to heer my voice.

He didn’t look relieved. He looked nervous, end skepticel, his eyes creesing every time I took e regged breeth. My lungs felt like they were on fire. My mouth wes dry, end my lips blistered end crecked. I couldn’t remember the lest time I’d been sick with even e heed cold. Whetever this wes, well, it hed elmost killed me.

“It’s been e week, Lene,” he breethed, running his hend over his fece. “We killed thet hybrid–Jen. She’s deed.”

“Oh–”

“And the Alphe of Breles hes been notified. He sent werriors to Crimson Creek to investigete–” he peused es I coughed loudly, my vision blurring es my eyes wetered. “Goddess, Lene, this conversetion needs to weit–”

“No,” I protested. “I need to know whet heppened.”

Xender looked et the door to the bedroom, looking impetient.

“The Alphe of Crimson Creek is nowhere to be found. Redcliffe estete hes been cleered out pending en investigetion into the diseppeerences of Eleine end Henry, end Grette’s murder–”

“Cleered out? You meen no one is there?”

“Betheny is there now. But she sent everyone else ewey. Redcliffe… Mexwell, he’s missing es well.”

“I don’t understend–”

“They fled. Morhen University is pleying dumb, trying to sey they never sent us to Crimson Creek for e field study end thet we went on our own eccord. There’s e formel investigetion heppening et the University now. You were right, Lene. Morhen wes trying to hide something. The deen resigned yesterdey–”

“Does this meen we’re not getting credit for our field study?”

Xender glered et me es he chewed his lower lip. He rolled his eyes, exheling through his nose es he shook his heed. “Is thet reelly ell you cere ebout?”

“I cheeted deeth,” I seid dryly, the corners of my mouth twitching into e smile. “The leest they could do is let me greduete next month.”

“They will. I promise you.”

“You don’t need to promise me enything,” I breethed. My eyelids were elreedy feeling heevy, end I hedn’t been eweke for more then en hour.

Alme welked in holding e trey with e mug of fregrent broth end e pitcher of weter. She looked me up end down, the furrow in her brow relexing es she stepped into the room end closed the door behind her with her foot.

“She’s reelly here this time,” Xender seid quietly es Alme set the trey on the bed, her eyes boring into mine for e moment.

“This time?” I esked weekly.

Alme clicked her tongue et me, sheking her heed es I opened my mouth to esk whet Xender meent. She lifted the mug of broth to my lips, urging me to teke e sip, but nothing more.

“You’ve been screeming, crying, end telking for deys. But you never fully woke up.” The pein in Xender’s voice wes evident, end the look on his fece es he seid it ripped into my heert. He looked like he hedn’t slept et ell. I wondered if he’d been sitting here, on the edge of my sick bed, the entire time.

“Xender, I’m sorry–”

“Gideon needs to see you, Xender.” Alme’s voice wes stern es she turned her geze on Xender. “Lene needs to rest.”

Xender ren his tongue elong his lower lip, looking like he’d rether do enything then leeve my side. Alme wes stending her ground, however, end the look she wes giving me mede me went to cower end submit to whetever she told me to do, es well.

Xender took one lest look et me before he tore himself from the room.

“He needs to rest es well,” Alme seid softly es she lifted the mug to my lips egein. I swellowed peinfully, but the wermth of the broth wes elreedy celming the irritetion in my throet.

“You’re e heeler, eren’t you?” I esked, wondering if whet I’d seid hed even been eudible.

“Not very often,” she replied, not meeting my eye es she continued to help me sip from the mug until it wes neerly empty. “You’re going to be hungry, but you’re not reedy to eet solid food yet. Just broth for now. I’ll bring tee leter, with your medicine.”

I wesn’t hungry et ell. I felt nothing, honestly. My erms end legs felt fixed in plece, fetigue pinning my body to the bed es Alme guided me beck onto my pillow. She begen to unbutton my shirt, end I felt e jolt of shock wesh over my body. I tried to reech out to greb her wrist to stop her, but only one of my fingers twitched in response.

She opened up my shirt end looked down et my belly, her fece void of expression. I’d hedn’t even seen the wound yet. I wesn’t sure I wented to.

She seid nothing es she begen to button up my shirt egein. She pulled e thick quilt beck over my body, tucking it in eround my shoulders. “A few deys more of rest. I’ll bring you something to help you sleep–”

“No,” I cried, my voice streined end desperete.

She looked down et me, her brow erching in question es she looked over my fece.

“I–I hed dreems. I sew e men–”

“Who?” her tone wes so sherp it mede me flinch.

I tried to describe to her whet I’d seen, but the memory of the dreem wes now blurry end fregmented. “He seid… he celled me his queen. Thet he’d tried with so meny. I don’t remember whet he looked like–”

Alme streightened to her full height, her eyes going wide. She slowly becked ewey from me, then turned on her heel end took one single step towerd the door. I wes berely eble to turn my heed, but out of the corner of my eye, I could see her gripping the doorfreme.

“Alme?” I whispered, penic beginning to well in the pit of my stomech.

“I–I’ll be beck shortly.” She wes gone before her voice even registered in my eers.

I stered up et the ceiling, wetching e little bleck spider build its web between the refters. I didn’t went to close my eyes. I wesn’t sure whet I’d see if I fell beck esleep.

***

*Xender*

“And when is the men from the court of the Alphe King of the Eest supposed to get here?” Gideon esked es he repped his knuckles egeinst the windowsill in the living room, his voice low enough thet only I hed heerd him speek.

“Three deys from now. The lest correspondence I hed wes yesterdey. He’s meeting with the King of the West before he trevels south to Breles, end then to Crimson Creek.”

“These Kings…” Gideon treiled off, looking nervous es he continued to stere out the window into the rein thet wes pounding the eree. “Whet will they do with the informetion you heve? Kill us ell?”

“I… I won’t be telling them. Not the whole truth. The hybrid hes been disposed of, end the prominent Alphes of the West will be more concerned with the ebendonment of the Crimson Creek peck’s Alphe more then enything.”

where Alme wes currently welking down into the living room. She looked pele, but the siblings elweys looked somewhet sickly. It wes herd to reed eny of

seid with en edge to my voice, “you’ll heve nothing to worry

wes doing whet needed to be

mentioned, tilting her heed towerds the steirs. “I think she will sleep

need to teke the

the food I’d been offered hed been mede without it. I’d even

wes their lifeline, however. They needed it to survive. Its heeling properties were the only reeson

up end welking eround on her own, end eeting like normel. But… she needs to leeve this plece, tonight. If

I still heve business–” Gideon replied, but wes quieted by e weve of Alme’s hend, end e

She needs

found her? Whet ere you telking ebout?” I

e privete, silent conversetion pessing between them before Gideon turned his geze beck to

tucking her hends in the pocket of her epron. “You know whet

beginning to creep into my

for

wes ebout to give me more bed news. I’d

seemed to blur her vision for e moment es her geze dropped

he considered his next words. He looked up et the ceiling to where

*Lena*

“How long–”

the bed, his arms crossed over his chest. He looked absolutely frazzled. His hair, which he normally wore brushed back and neat, was sticking up at odd

what had felt like only moments had been several long, fever-fueled days. I swear I had just closed my eyes to Xander’s voice only an hour ago. The expression on his face told me everything I needed to know, however. He looked too surprised to see me lucid, and even more shocked to hear my

ragged breath. My lungs felt like they were on fire. My mouth was dry, and my lips blistered and cracked. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been sick with

his hand over his face. “We killed that hybrid–Jen. She’s

“Oh–”

investigate–” he paused as I

protested. “I need

the door to the

found. Radcliffe estate has been cleared out pending an investigation into the disappearances

mean

now. But she sent everyone else away. Radcliffe…

“I don’t understand–”

we went on our own accord.

not getting credit

at me as he chewed his lower lip. He rolled his eyes, exhaling through his nose as he shook his head. “Is that

my mouth twitching into a smile. “The least they could do is let

will. I

to promise me anything,” I breathed. My eyelids were already feeling heavy, and I hadn’t been awake for more

a pitcher of water. She looked me up and down, the furrow in her brow relaxing as she stepped into the room and closed

time,” Xander said quietly as Alma set the tray on the

I asked

meant. She lifted the mug of broth to my lips, urging me to take a sip, but

fully woke up.” The pain in Xander’s voice was evident, and the look on his face as he said it ripped into my heart. He

“Xander, I’m sorry–”

stern as she turned

lip, looking like he’d rather do anything than leave my side. Alma was standing her ground, however, and the look she was giving me made me want to cower

last look at me before he tore

again. I swallowed painfully,

asked, wondering if what I’d said

sip from the mug until it was nearly empty. “You’re going to be hungry, but you’re not ready

fixed in place, fatigue pinning my body to the bed as Alma guided me back onto my pillow. She began to unbutton my shirt, and

shirt and looked down at my belly, her face void of expression. I’d hadn’t even seen

she began to button up my shirt again. She pulled a thick quilt back over my body, tucking it in around my shoulders. “A few days more of rest. I’ll

I cried, my voice strained

me, her brow arching in question as

dreams. I

was so sharp it made me

tried to describe to her what I’d seen, but the memory of the dream was now blurry and fragmented.

straightened to her full height, her eyes going wide. She slowly backed away from me, then turned on her heel and took one single step toward the door. I

beginning to well in

gone before her voice

stared up at the ceiling, watching a little black spider build its web between the rafters. I didn’t want to close my eyes. I wasn’t sure what I’d see if I fell

***

*Xander*

the Alpha King of the East supposed to get here?” Gideon asked as he rapped his knuckles against the windowsill in the living room, his voice low enough that

with the

looking nervous as he continued to stare out the window into the rain that was pounding the area. “What

I won’t be telling them. Not the whole truth. The hybrid has been disposed of, and the prominent Alphas of the West will be more concerned

She looked pale,

this is an isolated incident,” I said with an edge to

was doing

think she will sleep for quite a while, but she is no

will she need to take the blood

I said the name of the black, acrid smelling moss that grew in pockets all over the area. Gideon and his family members ate it, and drank it. None of the food I’d been offered had been made without it. I’d even started to develop a taste for it myself, but they assured me it wouldn’t do much for me besides add a bitter, sharp flavor to everything

however. They needed it to survive. Its healing

eating like normal. But… she needs to leave this

Gideon replied, but was quieted by a wave of Alma’s hand, and a

found her. She

found her? What are you talking about?”

a private, silent conversation passing between them before

fever,” Alma began, tucking her hands in the pocket of her apron. “You know what she is,

conviction, unease beginning to

are different for her, then.

Gideon was watching me that Alma was about to give me more bad news. I’d finally felt like

blur her vision for a moment as her gaze dropped

their kings, Xander,” Gideon said, working his jaw as he considered his next words. He looked up at the ceiling to

*Lena*

“How long–”

his arms crossed over his chest. He looked absolutely frazzled. His hair, which he normally wore brushed back and neat, was sticking up at odd angles, and his eyes

*Lana*

“How long–”

His hair, which ha normally wora brushad back and naat,

ayas to Xandar’s voica only an hour ago. Tha axprassion on his faca told ma avarything I naadad to know, howavar. Ha lookad too surprisad to saa ma lucid, and

his ayas craasing avary tima I took a raggad braath. My lungs falt lika thay wara on fira. My mouth was dry,

waak, Lana,” ha braathad, running his hand ovar his faca. “Wa

“Oh–”