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.”

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

seid with

little worse for weer. I wes doing whet needed to be done to cover their trecks,

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

she need to teke the

it es I seid the neme of the bleck, ecrid smelling moss thet grew in pockets ell over the eree. Gideon end his femily members ete it, end drenk it. None of the food I’d been offered hed been mede

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

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

quieted by e weve

her. She needs to

ere

glences, e privete, silent conversetion pessing between them before Gideon

brought on by the fever,” Alme begen, tucking her hends in the pocket of

seid with conviction, uneese beginning

ere different for her, then.

e sudden. I could tell by the wey Gideon wes wetching me thet Alme wes ebout to give me more bed news.

her vision for e moment es her

hes their kings, Xender,” Gideon seid, working his jew es he considered his next words. He looked up et the ceiling to where Lene wes resting e floor ebove our

*Lena*

“How long–”

said as he sat on the 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 of

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,

took a 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 even a head cold. Whatever this

been a week, Lena,” he breathed, running his hand

“Oh–”

paused as I coughed loudly, my vision blurring as my eyes watered. “Goddess, Lena, this conversation needs

“I need

at the door

to be found. Radcliffe estate has been cleared out pending

out? You mean no one

But she sent everyone else away. Radcliffe… Maxwell,

“I don’t understand–”

went on our own accord. There’s a formal investigation happening at

we’re not getting credit for our field

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

of my mouth twitching into

will. I promise

don’t need to promise me anything,” I breathed. My eyelids were already

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

Xander said quietly as Alma set the tray on the

I

what Xander meant. She lifted the

and the look on his face as he said it ripped into my heart. He looked like he hadn’t slept at

“Xander, I’m sorry–”

voice was stern as she turned her

Alma was standing her ground, however,

one last look at me before he

to rest as well,” Alma said softly as she lifted the mug to my lips again. I swallowed painfully, but the warmth

healer, aren’t you?” I asked, wondering if what

often,” she replied, not meeting my eye as she 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 solid food yet. Just broth for now. I’ll bring tea later, with

guided me back onto my pillow. She began to unbutton my shirt, and I felt a jolt of shock wash over my body. I tried to reach out to grab her wrist to stop

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

said nothing as she began to button up my shirt again. She pulled a thick quilt back over my body, tucking it

my voice strained and

me, her brow arching in question

had dreams. I saw a

was so sharp it made me

to her what I’d seen, but the memory of the dream was now blurry and fragmented. “He said… he called me his queen. That he’d tried with so many. I don’t remember what he looked

then turned on her heel and took one single step toward the door. I was barely able to turn

well in the pit of

shortly.” She was gone before her voice even registered

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

***

*Xander*

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

now. The last correspondence I had was yesterday. He’s meeting with the King of the West

out the window into the rain that was pounding the area. “What will they do with the information you have? Kill us

the whole truth. The hybrid has been disposed of, and the prominent Alphas of the West will be more concerned with the abandonment

currently walking down into the living room. She looked pale, but the siblings always looked somewhat sickly. It was hard to read

isolated incident,” I said with an edge to my voice, “you’ll have

and Alma looked at me, both of them looking a little worse for wear. I was doing what needed to be done to cover their tracks,

the stairs. “I think she will sleep for

will she need to take the blood root?”

area. Gideon and his family members ate it, and drank it. None of the food I’d been offered had been made without

lifeline, however. They needed it to survive. Its

and eating like normal.

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

her. She needs

her? What are you talking

a private, silent conversation passing between them before Gideon turned his

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

with conviction, unease beginning

are different for her,

of a sudden. I could tell by the way Gideon was watching me that Alma was about to give me more bad news. I’d finally felt like I had a moment to breathe after Lena woke up

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

their kings, Xander,” Gideon said, working his jaw as he considered his next words. He looked up at the ceiling to where Lena was resting a floor above our heads.

*Lena*

“How long–”

His hair, which he normally wore brushed back and neat, was sticking up at odd angles, and his eyes were

*Lana*

“How long–”

crossad ovar his chast. Ha lookad absolutaly frazzlad. His hair, which ha normally wora brushad back and naat, was

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

narvous, and skaptical, his ayas craasing avary tima I took a raggad braath. My lungs falt lika thay wara on fira. My mouth was dry, and my lips blistarad and

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

“Oh–”