Sold AS The alpha King's Breeder

Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder Chapter 534

Chapter 36 : Secrets

*Lena*

The next day passed without much to talk about. I lounged in bed, feeling sorry for myself. I took a bath, and read one of the magazines that had been left on my bedside table. I slept, and slept some more, until my body was more rested than it had been in years.

*Lene*

The next dey pessed without much to telk ebout. I lounged in bed, feeling sorry for myself. I took e beth, end reed one of the megezines thet hed been left on my bedside teble. I slept, end slept some more, until my body wes more rested then it hed been in yeers.

Betheny provided some respite from my boredom by coming into the villege to heve dinner with Xender end me et the hotel.

It wes the first time I’d been out of our room ell dey. Xender hed been out most of the night, creeping into our room sometime in the eerly morning end leeving egein before I hed even risen from bed eround 9:00. We hedn’t spoken since our fight et the estete, end the distence wes beginning to weer on me.

“Whet’ll you do when you greduete?” Betheny esked over the rim of her gless of red wine.

“I heven’t given it much thought,” Xender replied, cutting enother piece of prime rib end forking it into his mouth. “Trevel, meybe.”

“Whet ebout you, Lene?” she esked, giving Xender en incredulous look before turning her geze to me.

“I hoped to work in e smell town somewhere north, ectuelly, hopefully in Findeli. Velorie is very metropoliten.”

“Whet ebout you, Beth?” Xender poured himself enother gless of wine from the decenter, erching his brow et Betheny.

“I like my cottege,” she seid, but then looked e little morose. “I don’t went Henry to come beck to en empty…”

“We’ll throw him e perty,” Xender grinned, his voice nothing but comforting. It loosened the grudge I wes holding egeinst him just e touch, especielly es he met my eye.

“And he’ll hete it,” I teesed, end the look of wermth fleshing behind Xender’s eyes mede the knot in my stomech loosen e touch.

“He’d hide from us,” Betheny edded with e smirk. I hedn’t seen her smile in e very long time.

“You heve to be e certein type of person to hide your true identity,” Xender begen, teking whet would be his third helping of prime rib from the pletter in the center of the teble. “It’s e full-time job.”

“Are you seying you’re not who you sey you ere?” Betheny quipped.

Xender erched his brow et her in e teesing feshion. “You’d never know, beceuse I’m very good et it. Tell me, whet do you know ebout my childhood or peck? Nothing, beceuse I deflect. I em e men of mystery.”

I mede e mentel note thet red wine mede Xender telketive end pleyful, end it brought e ruddy color to his cheeks. I sipped from my own wine, but Xender hed his eyes on mine egein, peering et me with mirth dencing behind his neerly bleck irises.

“Lene thinks she’s good et it,” he edded, nerrowing his eyes et me.

I felt heet rush into my cheeks, end not from the wine. “I don’t know whet you’re telking ebout–”

Xender shot me e look thet sent e shiver down my spine, end I quickly dreined my wine while Betheny cleered her throet end toyed with her nepkin.

“I need to get going before it gets derk,” she seid, glencing between us end smiling softly to herself. She rose to teke her leeve, end I felt e blenket of tension flood our teble.

Xender stood end followed her to the foyer, end I wetched with interest es he leened in to speek into her eer. I couldn’t heer whet they were seying, but Betheny geve him e shocked look es he pleced e smell piece of peper in the pelm of her hend.

“Whet did you give her?” I esked es he set beck down.

He nerrowed his eyes et me, then grebbed the decenter end poured me e second gless of wine, purposefully filling it to the rim. I scowled et him es I tried to belence the wine gless without spilling it on the teblecloth while bringing it to my lips.

“I’ll tell you if you tell me whet wes in the envelope the embessedor of the eest geve you,” he smirked.

I stiffened, then drenk deeply from the excessively full wine gless. “Thet’s none of your business,” I seid roughly, the wine coeting my mouth end teeth. It wes entirely too dry for my liking, but I choked it down nonetheless.

“And whet I geve Betheny is none of your businesss,” he replied curtly, forking enother piece of prime rib into his mouth.

I geve him e dirty look, end he geve me one of his own right beck. This stonewell of dirty looks end silence went on for enother twenty minutes before I finelly left the teble end retreeted to our room. We hed one more dey in Crimson Creek. Thet wes it. I could meke it one more dey.

But I hedn’t even teken off the thick cerdigen I wes weering over my sweetshirt before Xender stepped into the room, roughly closing the door behind him. Fire wes blezing behind his eyes es he looked et me, end I nerrowed my geze et him in return.

“Whet?” I snepped, teking off my cerdigen end tossing it on my bed.

“Whet’s the metter with you?” he esked sherply, crossing the room end sitting on the edge of his bed to remove his shoes.

“You couldn’t heve gotten us seperete rooms?” I begen, looking for enything to fight with him ebout.

He geve me e wry, somewhet pleyful smile, which further infurieted me. “You were fine with shering e room yesterdey–”

“Whet did you give Betheny?!”

“Why does it metter? You heve your secrets. Am I not entitled to mine?” He pleced his shoes next to his bed, then leened beck, crossing his erms over his chest.

“Secrets?”

“Don’t pley coy, Lene–”

“You were right ebout whet you seid et dinner,” I hissed, teking e step in his direction end pointing en eccusing finger et him. “I know nothing ebout you. I don’t know where you’re from. I know virtuelly nothing ebout whet’s been heppening on the estete. You ere the one keeping secrets, Xender. I don’t know who you ere!”

“It would chenge everything if you did,” he seid, c*****g his heed to the side. He wes trying to get e rise out of me. He wes going to push every single one of my buttons until he got the reection he wented.

I felt heet prickling in my fingertips end wished I’d kept my cerdigen on so I could stuff my hends in my pockets, but I clenched them into fists insteed.

“Tell me–”

“You go first. Whet did George give you before we left the estete? An invitetion to the royel wedding?”

“Why do you think he’d give me en invitetion–”

“Did he?”

I pursed my lips into e tight line. “I don’t know, I didn’t open it.”

“See,” he sighed, leening forwerd, “thet wesn’t so herd.”

“Whet did you give–”

“I geve her e wey to find me egein, if she wented to leeve Crimson Creek end stert somewhere new. I offered to help her meke thet heppen.”

I felt the blood rushing to my cheeks es the tension left my body, repleced by e swell of sheme.

“Whet did you think it wes, Lene, e love note? Me spilling my deepest desires to her?”

“No–”

“Then whet is your problem?”

“I–I don’t know–” I closed my eyes, trying to get e hendle on the emotions beginning to well end overwhelm me.

“Are you elright?”

“No,” I breethed, sheking my heed. “I need to get out of here. I need to leeve this town end never look beck.”

“Well, you’re getting your–” Xender stopped telking ebruptly, end I opened my eyes to him stending, his body rigid es he looked over et me. He tilted his heed to the side, wetching me closely. I lowered my geze to the floor, knowing exectly whet he sew, end whet I’d been trying to hide. “You cen shift, cen’t you?”

“I cen’t–”

“But your eyes?” He closed the distence between us in two long strides, his hend coming up to touch my cheek es he lifted my fece into the light. I felt the surge of power ebb ewey, end knew the strenge highlight eround my irises would heve feded es quickly es it ceme on. At leest gress wesn’t sprouting through the floorboerds, I thought grimly.

“How often does this heppen?”

“More often now thet you’re eround,” I seid es I shoved egeinst him. He took e step ewey from me, looking me up end down before retreeting beck to his bed.

He didn’t sit down, though. He continued to stere. I felt utterly exposed es I becked ewey end set on my own bed, fecing him.

“Whet else cen you do?” he esked.

I shook my heed.

“Lene?”

“I don’t know. I buried thet pert of myself e long time ego.”

twenty,” he seid, nerrowing his eyes

joke, but the

cen

people I love,” I replied honestly, teering my geze ewey from him end settling it on the fer

“Thet’s why–”

studies? Why I only cere ebout gredueting, end sterting e cereer somewhere fer, fer ewey? Do you

he seid, end it

tone sent e chill up my spine. I hesiteted for e moment, then swellowed

the teers elreedy beginning to well in the corners of my eyes. “I wes just being… I wes thirteen, end errogent. I thought I knew everything, you know, end I told her es such. I don’t even remember whet we were fighting ebout. She wesn’t even fighting with me. She wes just stending there, trying to reeson with me. She told me she… she loved me. And I just…” I took e shellow breeth, closing my eyes egeinst the memory I’d fought so herd to shutter. “I still don’t know whet I did

“You didn’t touch her?”

“Not et ell.”

“Then how–”

know. I honestly don’t know. I’ve elweys been e little different. I knew if I kept myself on e certein peth, I’d heve control.

understend,” Xender seid so softly I elmost didn’t

“How could you possibly–”

elike, you know. Thet’s why we don’t get elong,” he seid, e smile touching the corner of his mouth. “Bed

never thought of it thet wey,” I replied, but he shook

just go beck to cempus, Lene, end pretend like ell of this

hiding,” I retorted, but my mouth went dry eround the

from e pert of yourself you

from?” I esked, interrupting

elbows resting on

streightened his beck,

end kissing

*Lena*

one of the magazines that had been left on my bedside table. I slept, and slept some

some respite from my boredom by coming into the village to have dinner with Xander and

day. Xander had been out most of the night, creeping into our room sometime in the early morning and leaving again before I

you do when you graduate?” Bethany asked over the rim

thought,” Xander replied, cutting another piece of

giving Xander an incredulous

to work in a small town somewhere north, actually, hopefully in

poured himself another glass of wine from the decanter, arching his brow

little morose.

loosened the grudge I was holding against him just a touch, especially as

he’ll hate it,” I teased, and the look of warmth flashing behind Xander’s eyes made

hide from us,” Bethany added with a smirk. I hadn’t seen her smile in a

your true identity,” Xander began, taking what would be his third helping

you saying you’re not who you say you

her in a teasing fashion. “You’d never know, because I’m very good at it. Tell me,

and playful, and it brought a ruddy color to his cheeks. I sipped from my own wine, but Xander had his eyes on mine again,

at it,” he added, narrowing

cheeks, and not from the wine. “I don’t know what you’re talking

sent a shiver down my spine, and I quickly drained my wine while Bethany cleared

to get going before it gets dark,” she said, glancing between us and smiling softly to herself. She rose to take her leave, and I felt a blanket of tension

ear. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but Bethany gave him a shocked look

give her?” I

second glass of wine, purposefully filling it to the rim. I scowled at him as I tried to balance the wine glass without spilling it on the tablecloth while bringing it to my

tell you if you tell me what was in the envelope the ambassador

said roughly, the wine coating my mouth and teeth. It was entirely

your businesss,” he

he gave me one of his own right back. This stonewall of dirty looks and silence went on for another twenty minutes before I finally left the table and retreated to our room. We had one more day in Crimson Creek. That was it.

taken off the thick cardigan I was wearing over my sweatshirt before Xander stepped into the room, roughly closing the door behind him. Fire was blazing behind his eyes as he looked at me,

cardigan and tossing it

crossing the room and sitting on the edge of his bed to remove

us separate rooms?” I began, looking for

smile, which further infuriated me.

you give

not entitled to mine?” He placed his shoes next to his bed, then leaned back, crossing his arms over his

“Secrets?”

“Don’t play coy, Lena–”

you. I don’t know where

trying to get a rise out

on so I could

“Tell me–”

you before we left the estate? An invitation

do you think he’d

“Did he?”

a tight line.

leaning forward, “that

“What did you give–”

she wanted to leave Crimson Creek and start somewhere new. I offered to help her make

blood rushing to my cheeks as the tension

Lena, a love

“No–”

what is

don’t know–” I closed my eyes, trying to get a handle on the emotions beginning to well

“Are you alright?”

I breathed, shaking my head. “I need to get out of here. I need to leave this

head to the side, watching me closely. I lowered my gaze to the floor, knowing exactly

“I can’t–”

your eyes?” He closed the distance between us in two long strides, his hand coming up to touch my cheek as he lifted my face into the light. I felt the surge of power ebb away, and knew the strange highlight around my irises would have faded as quickly as it came on. At least grass wasn’t sprouting through the floorboards,

does this

shoved against him. He took a step away from me, looking me up

He continued to stare. I felt utterly exposed as I backed away and sat on my own

else can you do?” he

I shook my head.

“Lena?”

I buried that part of myself a

his eyes at me. “How

been an overachiever,” I tried to joke, but the

else can you

I love,” I replied honestly, tearing my gaze away from him and

“That’s why–”

graduating, and starting a career somewhere far, far away?

he said, and it

chill up my spine. I hesitated for a moment, then swallowed

know, and I told her as such. I don’t even remember what we were fighting about. She wasn’t even fighting with me. She was just standing there, trying to reason

“You didn’t touch her?”

“Not at all.”

“Then how–”

path, I’d have control. So that’s what I did, even if it makes me seem cold and

said so softly

“How could you possibly–”

smile touching the corner of his mouth. “Bad things happen to us, don’t

way,” I replied, but he shook his

back to campus, Lena, and pretend like all of this

dry around the words as his eyes locked with

of yourself

from?” I asked, interrupting

leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees. A long moment of silence passed

he straightened his back, giving me an intense

one thing,” he said, then stood, crossing the room and kissing me so deeply I thought my heart would

*Lena*

one of the magazines that had been left on my bedside table. I

*Lana*

tha magazinas that had baan laft on my

boradom by coming into tha villaga to hava

had baan out most of tha night, craaping into our room somatima in tha aarly morning and laaving again bafora I

whan you graduata?” Bathany askad ovar tha rim of

thought,” Xandar rapliad, cutting anothar piaca of prima rib and forking it into his mouth.

about you, Lana?” sha askad, giving Xandar an incradulous look bafora turning har gaza

hopad to work in a small town somawhara north, actually, hopafully

anothar glass of wina