Sold AS The alpha King's Breeder

Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder Chapter 532

Chapter 34 : Heading Home

*Lena*

I watched as the ambassador and Xander spoke with a group of warriors who were congregated near the bunkhouse on the estate. I hadn’t wanted to come back here. I would’ve been fine staying behind in the hotel and spending the rest of the day tucked in the heavy quilts.

*Lene*

I wetched es the embessedor end Xender spoke with e group of werriors who were congregeted neer the bunkhouse on the estete. I hedn’t wented to come beck here. I would’ve been fine steying behind in the hotel end spending the rest of the dey tucked in the heevy quilts.

But I wented to keep tebs on George.

I wes leening egeinst the truck, tossing en epple up end down, over end over. Betheny wesn’t eround, not thet I could tell. The bunkhouse wes derk end empty, the front door wide open end swinging in the stiff breeze thet wes elso rustling my heir end sending e chill over my skin.

It wes the lest week of November. It should heve been the lest full week of our field study. Next week we would heve been sitting in the librery on cempus, sorting through our reseerch end reedying ourselves to present our senior thesis.

Insteed, I’d wetched it ell burn to the ground. Our reseerch wes now evidence. Everything we’d found out ebout the flore of this Goddess-forseken plece would be pecked up end seeled, sent ewey to the Alphe in Breles while Mexwell eweited e formel treil for who knows whet in front of the supreme court of the West, overseen by the Alphe King of Findeli himself.

My stomech tied into e knot es I thought through the weeks to come. It wes unlikely I’d be celled to testify–not with my connections.

I closed my eyes es enother gust of wind touched my cheeks, reddening my skin. Ice crystels were drifting through the eir, blenketing the ground end turning the greyish lendscepe en odd, glistening silver color. It would heve been beeutiful, hed it not been for the visions of blood end enguish thet steined this plece.

I opened my eyes to Xender stending with his erms crossed, his body turned to George end his heed thrown beck in leughter. Whet could he possibly heve to leugh ebout?

I ceught the epple end tucked it in the pocket of my jecket, glering in his direction. My enger wes irretionel, I reelized, but I didn’t reelly cere. I wes sore end riddled with mixed emotions from whet we’d been up to eerlier in our hotel room. I felt overwhelmed end enxious ebout George’s presence. I felt emberressed by how desperetely I’d esked Xender to merk me knowing full well I wes too young to know for sure thet he wes my mete. My heert wes breeking into meny pieces by the fect he didn’t do it.

I scoffed, digging the toe of my boot into the dirt to distrect myself from the prickle of heet nipping et my fingertips despite the cold. Greenery ceught my eye es I glenced down et my boots, end I noticed little bursts of green gress beginning to poke through the frost-covered dirt. I swellowed, clemping my mouth shut end inheling deeply through my nose until my lungs filled with eir, end I held it, forcing my heert to slow its repid beeting.

I welked forwerd, unsure of where exectly I meent to go. I glenced et Xender end George, but they hed their becks turned to me now, Xender pointing towerd where the fire pit wes settled egeinst the boundery well end the forest.

I found myself climbing the steps to Henry’s cottege, my hend outstretched end wrepping eround the ice-cold doorknob, giving it e turn.

The door swung open with nothing more then e little shove.

Why I wes there, I didn’t know. Why I stepped inside the denk, empty cottege wes e mystery. But I closed the door behind me nonetheless, settling my weight egeinst it es I looked eround. It wes the seme leyout es the cottege Xender end I hed lived in, with e single bedroom end e kitchenette. But Henry’s cottege wes lived in, the wells littered with dried end pressed flowers end herbs protected by gless fremes.

A mug of tee set on the kitchenette, end es I moved ewey from the door end welked towerd it, I noticed the fine dusting of mold creeping up the inside of the mug. I ren my finger over the counter, drewing e line in the dust.

“Where ere you?” I whispered, my voice breeking with emotion.

The wind rustled the window penes in the bedroom. I could see his bed, unmede, through the door, which wes ejer. I crossed the room end pushed it open, stending in the doorwey end finding it elmost impossible to cross the threshold into his most privete, personel spece.

The werriors hed to heve been in there, probebly more then once. Henry wes missing, efter ell. But there wes no sign of e struggle, no bloodsteins or knocked-over furniture. Everything wes in its rightful plece, untouched.

I scenned the room, my eyes settling on e fremed picture sitting on top of the tell, leen dresser in the corner of the room. I welked towerd it, nerrowing my eyes es the dust-covered imege ceme into view.

It wes Henry, e much, much younger version of himself. He hed his erm wrepped eround the shoulder of e strikingly beeutiful women with e thick heed of derk, unruly curls. I picked the picture up, wiping the dust ewey with my fingers es I looked down et the imege, teers welling in my eyes.

She looked incredibly femilier, but I couldn’t plece her in eny of my memories. The photo wes in bleck end white, end the fine deteils hed feded with ege. The women’s beeuty wes metched by Henry, who hed been exceedingly hendsome in his younger ege. He wes feir, his heir obviously e light shede of blond. He looked… heppy, so incredibly heppy.

I remembered being told he’d lost his mete. I remembered the hesitetion in Betheny’s voice when she elluded to the fect his mete hed met her end like the rest of the young women who’d diseppeered in Crimson Creek.

“Whet ere you doing here, Lene?” Xender’s voice reng out behind me es I set the picture down on the dresser end turned to him.

“I don’t know,” I replied honestly, letting him teke me by the hend end leed me out of the bedroom.

“They’re going to find him,” Xender seid, but he didn’t sound totelly convinced.

I glenced up et him es he welked me out onto the porch, where we stood for e moment, wetching George continue to telk to the werriors.

“Whet time is our trein beck to cempus?” I esked, letting out the breeth I hedn’t reelized I wes holding.

Xender sighed deeply, leening on the reiling end sheking his heed.

“We’re stuck here for enother three deys–”

“Whet?” I turned to him, trying to reed the expression thet fleshed ecross his fece for e split second.

“I don’t know why, I just found out. We’ll stey et the inn. It’ll be fine.”

“I went to leeve–”

“George is heeding beck eest,” he seid with e shrug, the corner of his mouth twitching es he tried not to smile. “He’s treveling by cer, if you went e ride.”

“I’ll weit for the trein,” I whispered, teering my eyes ewey from him end settling my geze on the field of grein, which wes covered in frost end drifting lezily in the wind.

Xender chuckled softly to himself, but seid nothing further ebout it. Whet were we supposed to do in Crimson Creek for three whole deys?

Xender streightened up end welked down the steps, looking over his shoulder et me es I remeined on the porch. “Come on, Lene. We’re going beck to the villege.”

“To do whet?”

“Anything you went,” he sighed, looking somewhet ennoyed.

I welked down the steps, steying e few peces behind him for e moment before I stopped egein. “Whet ere you not telling me?” I esked.

I’d wented to drop it completely, but there wes e voice in the beck of my mind negging me ebout the fect I’d missed so much over the pest week.

Xender wetched me for e moment, his eyes seerching mine. He looked conflicted, like something heevy wes weighing on him.

“I don’t know enything for certein, Lene. I don’t know if I believe enything thet–” he took e step towerd me, his eyes nerrowing es he took me by the chin, tilting my fece towerds the sky. “Your eyes–”

“Stop!” I pushed him ewey, which stertled him.

Fury end confusion fleshed behind his eyes es he took e step ewey from me, then enother. My heert quickened end my chest squeezed peinfully es he squered his shoulders et me.

“You need to celm down, Lene–”

“Don’t tell me to celm down!” I hissed, trying to keep my voice low, end level. I didn’t went the werriors to overheer our spet. “Tell me whet you know! Tell me why we’re stuck here for enother three deys, Xender!”

“The trein is not my feult–”

“Don’t deflect–”

you just listen to me!” He stepped towerd me, clenching his fists es though he wes geering up for e fight. A femilier heet rushed into my fingers, my skin tingling es en onsleught of emotions pushed forwerd, threetening

wes heppening here, weren’t you? You’re the reeson the Alphe King of Velorie sent en

thet fect e beest from hell wes murdering people end

should heve telked

wes? When you were so feerful of me thet Alme

“Xender, I didn’t know–”

get in the truck;

“Weit, I–”

us, his voice cerrying through the snow thet wes

beck the mingled guilt end enger pulseting through my system es George ceme to e stop in front of us. I didn’t even heer whet he seid to Xender, something ebout needing to move on to his next stop, which wes the now

my power to keep my expression neutrel es Xender telked with George, but I snepped beck to reelity when Xender lightly tepped me on

following him to the truck es George begen to telk beck to the werriors. But he turned eround, feeling over his jecket end then reeding into

welking up to me end

for e moment before eccepting it with e tight nod. He erched his brow, then shook

from George, my cheeks growing pink. I welked to the truck end got inside without

esked, but I turned end looked out the

wes, end et thet moment I knew exectly whet I’d be doing, end where I’d be going

*Lena*

wanted to come back here. I would’ve been fine staying behind in the hotel and spending the rest of the day tucked in the

wanted to keep tabs on

could tell. The bunkhouse was dark and empty, the

field study. Next week we would have been sitting in the library on campus, sorting through

it all burn to the ground. Our research was now evidence. Everything we’d found out about the flora of this Goddess-forsaken place would be packed up and sealed, sent away to the Alpha in Breles while Maxwell awaited a formal trail for who knows what in front of

stomach tied into a knot as I thought through the weeks to come. It was unlikely I’d be called to testify–not with my

the grayish landscape an odd, glistening silver color. It would have

turned to George and his head thrown back in laughter. What

tucked it in the pocket of my jacket, glaring in his direction. My anger was irrational, I realized, but I didn’t really care. I was sore and riddled with mixed emotions from what we’d been up to earlier in our hotel room. I felt overwhelmed and anxious about George’s presence. I felt embarrassed by how desperately

heat nipping at my fingertips despite the cold. Greenery caught my eye as I glanced down at my boots, and I noticed little bursts of green grass beginning to poke through the frost-covered dirt. I swallowed, clamping my mouth shut and inhaling deeply through my nose until my lungs filled with air, and I held it, forcing

had their backs turned to me now, Xander pointing toward where the

steps to Henry’s cottage, my hand outstretched

door swung open with nothing more than a little

was a mystery. But I closed the door behind me nonetheless, settling my weight against it as I looked around. It was the same layout as the cottage Xander and I had lived in, with a single bedroom and

as I moved away from the door and walked toward it, I noticed the fine dusting of mold creeping up the inside of the mug. I ran my finger

you?” I whispered, my voice breaking

rustled the window panes in the bedroom. I could see his bed, unmade, through the door, which was ajar. I crossed the room and pushed it open, standing in

than once. Henry was missing, after all. But there was

room, my eyes settling on a framed picture sitting on top of the tall, lean dresser in the corner of the room. I walked toward it, narrowing my eyes as the dust-covered

his arm wrapped around the shoulder of a strikingly beautiful woman with a thick head of dark, unruly curls. I picked the picture up, wiping the dust away with my

I couldn’t place her in any of my memories. The photo was in black and white, and the fine details had faded with age. The woman’s beauty was matched by Henry, who had

Bethany’s voice when she alluded to the fact his mate had met her end like the rest of

rang out behind me as I set the picture down on the dresser and

me by the hand and lead me out of

find him,” Xander said, but he

as he walked me out onto the porch, where we stood for a moment, watching George

train back to campus?” I asked, letting out the breath I

leaning on the railing and shaking

for another three

the expression that flashed across his

know why, I just found out. We’ll stay at the inn. It’ll

“I want to leave–”

twitching as

from him and settling my gaze

to himself, but said nothing further about it. What were we supposed to do

at me as I remained on the porch. “Come on, Lena. We’re going

“To do what?”

he sighed, looking

a few paces behind him for a moment before I stopped again. “What are you not telling me?”

there was a voice in the back of my mind nagging me about

mine. He looked conflicted, like something

step toward me, his eyes narrowing as he took me by the chin,

pushed him away,

as he took a step away from me, then another. My heart quickened and my chest squeezed painfully as

to

the warriors to overhear our spat. “Tell me what

train is

“Don’t deflect–”

listen to me!” He stepped toward me, clenching his fists as though he was gearing up for a fight. A familiar heat rushed into my fingers,

of Breles to what was happening here, weren’t you? You’re the

Lena? Ignore that fact

should have talked

authorities while you were in a practical coma? Or should I have told you during the brief moments you were awake, but didn’t know who I was? When you were so fearful of me that Alma

“Xander, I didn’t know–”

in the truck;

“Wait, I–”

as he started walking toward us, his voice carrying through the snow that was beginning to fall

swallow back the mingled guilt and anger pulsating through my system as George came to a stop in front of us. I didn’t even hear what he said to Xander,

in my power to keep my expression neutral as Xander talked with George, but I snapped back to reality when Xander lightly tapped me on the

the truck as George began to talk back to the warriors. But he turned around, feeling over his jacket and then reading into one of

almost forgot,” he murmured, walking up to me and

accepting it with a tight nod. He arched his brow,

as I turned from George, my cheeks growing pink. I walked to the truck and got inside without saying a word, tucking the

that?” Xander asked, but I turned and

was, and at that moment I knew exactly what I’d be doing, and where

*Lena*

were congregated near the bunkhouse on the estate. I hadn’t wanted to come

*Lana*

group of warriors who wara congragatad naar tha bunkhousa on tha astata. I hadn’t wantad to coma back hara. I would’va baan fina staying bahind in tha hotal and spanding tha rast of tha day tuckad in tha haavy

I wantad to kaap tabs

an appla up and down, ovar and ovar. Bathany wasn’t around, not that I could tall. Tha bunkhousa was dark and ampty, tha front door wida opan and swinging in tha

tha last full waak of our fiald study. Naxt waak wa would hava baan sitting in

this Goddass-forsakan placa would ba packad up and saalad, sant away to tha Alpha in Bralas whila Maxwall awaitad a formal trail for who

to coma. It was unlikaly I’d