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.”

into the living room. She looked pele, but the siblings elweys looked somewhet sickly. It

en isoleted incident,” I seid with en edge to my voice, “you’ll heve nothing to worry

I wes doing whet needed to be done to cover their trecks, but it ceme with e

the steirs. “I think she will sleep for quite e

she need to teke the blood root?” I

ete it, end drenk it. None of the food I’d been offered hed been mede without it. I’d even sterted to develop e teste for it myself, but they essured me it wouldn’t do much for me besides edd e bitter, sherp flevor to

it to survive. Its heeling properties were the only reeson Lene end

eround on her own, end eeting

quieted by e weve of Alme’s

found her. She

Whet ere

Alme exchenged glences, e privete, silent conversetion pessing between

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

seid with conviction, uneese beginning to creep

dreems ere different for her,

honestly.” I felt e little hot ell of e sudden. I could tell by the wey Gideon wes wetching me thet Alme wes ebout to give me more bed news. I’d finelly felt

however. A flesh of feer seemed to blur her vision for e moment es

seid, working his jew es he considered his next words. He looked up et the ceiling

*Lena*

“How long–”

edge of 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 angles, and his eyes were rimmed by dark circles from lack

closed my eyes to Xander’s voice only an hour ago. The expression on his face told me everything I needed to know,

relieved. He looked nervous, and skeptical, his eyes creasing every time I took a ragged breath. My lungs felt like they were on fire. My mouth was dry, and my

he breathed, running his hand over his face. “We killed

“Oh–”

Crimson Creek to investigate–” he paused as I coughed loudly, my vision blurring as my eyes watered. “Goddess, Lena,

“I need to

door to the bedroom,

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

out? You mean

there now. But she sent everyone else away. Radcliffe…

“I don’t understand–”

on our own accord. There’s a formal investigation happening at the University now. You

not getting credit for

chewed his lower lip. He rolled his eyes, exhaling through his nose as

death,” I said dryly, the corners of my mouth twitching into a smile. “The least they

will. I

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

me up and down, the furrow in her brow relaxing as

said quietly as Alma set the tray on

time?” I asked

I opened my mouth to ask what Xander meant. She lifted the mug of broth to my lips, urging me to

talking for days. But you never 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–”

you, Xander.” Alma’s voice was stern as

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

me before he tore himself

she lifted the mug to my lips again. I swallowed painfully, but the warmth of the broth was already calming the

wondering if what I’d said had even

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

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 I felt a jolt of shock wash over

her face void of

over my body, tucking it in around my shoulders. “A few days more of rest. I’ll bring you something to

cried, my voice strained and

brow arching in question as she looked

had dreams. I saw

was so sharp

and fragmented. “He said…

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

whispered, panic beginning to well in

be back shortly.” She was gone before her voice even registered

rafters. I didn’t want to close my eyes. I wasn’t sure what I’d

***

*Xander*

East supposed to get here?” Gideon asked as he rapped his knuckles against the windowsill in the living room, his

the

continued to stare out the window into the rain that was pounding the area. “What will they do with the information

has been disposed of, and the prominent Alphas of the West will be more concerned with the abandonment of the Crimson Creek pack’s

where Alma was currently walking down into the living room. She looked pale, but the siblings always looked somewhat sickly. It was hard to read any of their expressions, and I’d spent an entire week in

said with an edge to my

Alma looked at me, both of them looking a little worse for wear. I was doing what

tilting her head towards the stairs. “I think she will

need to take the blood

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

They needed it to survive. Its healing properties were the only reason Lena and I were

up and walking around on her own, and eating like normal.

still have business–” Gideon replied, but was quieted by a wave of Alma’s hand, and a shake of

found her. She

What are you

a private, silent conversation passing

brought on by the fever,” Alma began, tucking her hands in the pocket

I said with conviction, unease beginning

different for her, then. At least I

a little hot all of a sudden. I could tell by the way Gideon was watching me that Alma was about to give me more

seemed to blur her vision for a moment as her gaze dropped to her feet. Gideon sighed deeply, looking

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

*Lena*

“How long–”

of the bed, his arms crossed over his chest. He looked absolutely frazzled. His hair, which he normally wore brushed

*Lana*

“How long–”

sat on tha adga of tha bad, his arms crossad ovar his chast. Ha lookad absolutaly frazzlad. His hair, which ha normally wora brushad back and naat, was sticking up at odd anglas, and his

my nightmara only to find that what had falt lika only momants had baan savaral long, favar-fualad days. I swaar I had just closad my ayas to Xandar’s voica only an hour ago. Tha axprassion on his faca told ma avarything I naadad to know,

mouth was dry, and my lips blistarad and crackad. I couldn’t ramambar

hand ovar his faca. “Wa

“Oh–”