Sold AS The alpha King's Breeder

Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder Chapter 558

Chapter 58 : All Grown Up

*Xander*

I’d never seen so much pink in my life.

I felt a little nauseous as I walked through the throng of people gathered to witness the nuptials of Prince William of the Isles and whoever the hell he was marrying. Pink flowers lined the walkway that wove through the tropical back garden of the palace, which would have been beautiful had it not been tarnished by the bubblegum color streamers hanging from the palm trees.

People did comment on the absurd decorations, but nobody looked more uncomfortable than the Luna of Poldesse, who was looking just as green as I felt as she greeted the guests with a mask of dignity and grace.

William hadn’t been at the dinner the night before, and neither had his betrothed, and as dinner progressed and the wine was poured, it was painfully obvious to me that no one was particularly looking forward to the marriage.

I’d heard the rumors, of course. It was hard not to after spending several months on campus in Morhan, where every girl had a marked obsession with the princes of Poldesse. Poor Prince Oliver was jilted by his longtime lover, and now she was marrying his brother.

It made my complicated relationship with Lena look like a walk in the park.

Speaking of Lena, I hadn’t seen or heard from her in the past twenty-four hours. I knew she was avoiding me, especially since I’d been invited to stay at the palace until the wedding took place and had accepted the invitation.

I’d hoped to get her alone again by now to clear the air and patch things up, but that seemed more and more unlikely as the day went on.

Now the guests were filling the aisles of white wrought-iron chairs woven with pink tulle, and Lena was nowhere to be seen.

I lingered in the back, hoping to catch a glimpse of her before I took a seat but found myself glancing toward the only shred of gold shimmer against the dense foliage and tower palms that sheltered the garden. The palace was just visible as I turned around, watching as two figures moved behind the foliage. If they were trying to stay hidden, well, they weren’t doing a very good job.

Curiosity got the best of me and I broke for the trees, nodding my hellos to the passing nobility of whatever the hell packs they came from as I walked briskly toward the palms.

I saw the glint of a glass bottle catch in the sun as I walked around the palms along a stone pathway, and I came face to face with Oliver and Charlie, who were standing out of view from the guests and leaning against the back wall of what looked like a pool house. Oliver paused with the bottle of bourbon in his hands, his eyes meeting mine before he lifted the bottle to his lips and took the longest, most deliberate swig I’d ever witnessed.

“You’re going to throw up,” Charlie said as he took the bottle from his brother, then tilted his head to me in greeting. Oliver wiped his mouth, his cheeks going ruddy as the alcohol burned through him.

“If you do, aim for the flutist,” I said, giving both men a wry grin.

“Ears ringing too?” Charlie said with an arch of his brow.

I liked Charlie. He’d been at dinner that night before, and I found his company agreeable and enjoyable, which was rare. I was only a few years older than the triplet princes, and Charlie and I were both men of the world and had an awful lot in common.

Everyone had been kind, actually.

on the other

the bottle that Charlie was holding just out of his

Charlie handed to me without hesitation. I took a swig, but not nearly the amount that Oliver had just downed. He looked as though he was

before Oliver fixed his gaze on me, looking me up and

you seen Lena?” I

a ferocious scowl. Charlie, ever

He bent down and tucked it behind a rock, ruffling the leaves a bit to

“Oh–”

Oliver said sharply, pointing a finger at

is,” I replied, which startled him a bit. “I did

chuckled, looking somewhat

of the dinner the night before, but not once had anyone mentioned Lena’s name. It wasn’t for me to talk about,

had his father’s set of mismatched eyes, one blue, and one gray. The combination made Oliver look like some unearthly being, especially with

to raise my hands. “But we ended

do with you,” Oliver snapped, but Charlie held his hand up, his curiosity overwhelming whatever desire he had to protect his cousin’s

who I was, not fully. I need

the nines, whereas Oliver was wearing a loose-fitting button-up shirt, shorts, and sandals. He looked more like he was going to the beach than his brother’s wedding. “The bride is running late. I assume Lena is with the other women, helping her dress, or whatever they do during

a step to the side

to his full height, his chest puffing out

princes were strong, built like workhorses just like their father. I doubted Oliver had done much combat training, however. I’d have him on his belly the second he

flaring as I silently willed him to

relax?” Charlie

unadulterated hatred toward me in his eyes, that Oliver might know the whole truth about us. I’d wondered if Lena had a close

I said, taking another step backward, “once I have a moment

turned on my heel and walked

heard Charlie mumbling at him, telling him

of the palace where guests were mingling in small groups, standing in the shade while they waited for the wedding to begin. No one seemed to notice when I rattled a

***

*Lena*

I stood in front of the full

met mine in the

murmured, unable to hide the color rising

with a wry smile, walking around to look at the front of the dress. She fluffled the sleeves and smoothed the fabric over the bodice as I held my arms out for her. “Just lovely, Lena. I’d

I looked up at