Sold AS The alpha King's Breeder

Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder Chapter 556

Chapter 56 : The Mark of the Dark King

*Lena*

I spent the remainder of the day avoiding everyone. It was rather easy to do, given the immense size of the palace.

I even missed dinner, which was being held in the formal dining room. I knew Xander would be there. I knew without a shadow of a doubt as I went hungry in my room, telling a maid to relay a message to my parents that I wasn’t feeling, that he was schmoozing with my family and using every charismatic weapon in his arsenal to win them over.

He was likely being totally honest about who he was, too. Out of everything we’d done, and we’d done a lot, that was something he’d chosen not to do with me.

I went to bed, expecting Xander’s voice to creep into my head again, but I fell asleep to silence, nothing but the waves outside my balcony lulling me to sleep.

***

The morning of the wedding.

I wanted to throw up.

I stood on my balcony with my arms crossed as I stared down at the beach below, where people were walking along the sand in total ignorance of the chaos going on inside the castle. My view was of the public beach, which was surprisingly quiet. I longed to be free of the tight hot rollers covering every inch of my head and the constricting shapewear I was wearing under my robe.

The red dress I’d bought in Morhan had arrived before I’d even touched down in Avondale. It was quickly altered to fit my frame, but I’d chosen the dress before Xander had marked me. The mark would be on full display above the neckline that had my breast on display, even if it was modest enough for a family wedding.

It was too late to turn back now. I’d either have to deal with the questions about my choosing a different dress, or come clean. I didn’t have a choice.

Maeve had seen the dress and thought it was perfect. Mom, on the other hand, was a little vexed at the idea that I’d chosen something so vampy for my cousin’s wedding. Had Maeve not told my mom about the dress before I came up with some excuse not to wear it, this day may have gone smoother than I expected it to now.

Maybe everyone already knew. Maybe Xander had told them everything at dinner the night before. Maybe he’d even explained what happened in Crimson Creek.

But I doubted it. He’d already said he wouldn’t. I had to trust him.

But the mark on my chest… how the hell was I going to explain that?

“There you are!” Eliza said as she came into the room, closing the door behind her with a grin of pure elation on her face. Her hair had been styled in tight curls that bounced on her shoulders as she walked toward me, a tiara laced with pink jewels glinting in the soft midday light.

chose Eliza over me, even though I wouldn’t have said yes. Hollis had twelve other bridesmaids, which seemed astronomically excessive. No wonder Maeve was in

I had at least two hours before the ceremony began. I had time to wallow in my own terrible choices and grab

know any of Hollis’s friends,” I said softly, leaning on

guess. I don’t think all of them are her friends, really. They didn’t seem all that

court, even though no such thing existed. Hollis had skyrocketed to fame in the last year after her relationship with Will became public, and it was no surprise to me that young women began

my fingers on the railing, wondering if Heather and Viv were going to be

to wear,” Eliza grimaced. “Pure pink. Like, the worst shade of pink you can imagine. Frills, lace… I think it’s all

gave Eliza an easy smile. I could easily gossip about Hollis. I’d grown up with her, known her practically my entire life. I couldn’t be upset with her about choosing her mate

Oliver before…. I felt my cheeks flaming as I thought about it. Despite what she’d told Oliver, I suspected Will and Hollis

married her solely out of love, making her a princess

of emotion that washed over me.

even going to go?” she asked, seemingly

heard that Charlie had even tried to get out of it, but Maeve had protested.

least,” Eliza said softly, twirling a curl around her manicured finger. “I need to go get dressed. Pictures, and all–” she said with a little twist

my makeup, my mom walked in the door, smiling down at me

laugh, glancing at

time,

the ceremony,” she said as she walked toward the four-poster bed and ran her fingers over the fabric of the red dress I’d hung from the

the reflection of the mirror. She had dressed already and looked pretty in her muted gold gown with her hair loose over her shoulders. But

tell her now if I was going to

said the man,

softly as she turned

at my reflection in the mirror as I

grinding my teeth as I thought of all the

you seemed upset. I met the man formally at the party, of course. But he came to dinner

threatening to bubble

quite nice.

you mean from another realm?” I said with

response. “How do you know him, Lena?” Her voice was still soft, but I could hear a

my lower lip before applying a shade of lipstick darker than I’d ever worn before. “I

“At school?”

face through the mirror as I willed myself to go further. “I didn’t know