Sold AS The alpha King's Breeder

Chapter 634

Chapter 134 : I Hurt Her

*Maeve*

I followed Xander through the darkened corridors and down the stairs, my bare feet barely making a sound. Xander was exceedingly tall, taller even than Troy. Even being the tallest out of all the women in my family, I was panting as I tried to keep up with his long stride.

He had no idea where he was going, but I could tell he was trying to get out of the castle. He was going to shift; I could feel it. He was going to run.

But I wasn’t going to let him.

“Stop!” I hissed when he finally found the door to the back garden. He froze, his fingers wrapped around the doorknob for the space of a breath before he pushed the door open and stormed out onto the back terrace. I huffed a breath and tore after him, thankful for the cool breeze that fanned over the exposed skin beneath my shorts. “Damnit, Xander. I said stop!”

He whirled around, baring his teeth at me. I could see tears glimmering in his eyes, which were nearly black in the pale light spilling from the open door behind us.

“I hurt her,” he spat, fury sharpening each word to a brutal edge.

“Yeah, you did. But I can tell you’re hurting much more than she is right now,” I said, trying to keep my voice level. I could see a bruise forming along his jaw where I’d slapped him with my fingers curled into my palm. Blood still coated his lips, and his eyes were wide with horror–horror, and raging, infectious guilt that damn near snapped my heart in two. “You’re not the only one going through this,” I coaxed, still standing my ground. If he so much as looked like his wolf was going to take over, I’d take him to the ground. I’d pin him to the Goddess-damned concrete and force him to listen to me.

He was panting as well, his hands clenched into fists. He was trembling, but not from the cool breeze.

“Whatever you saw,” I said, taking a cautious step forward, “it’s gone now. It’s over.”

“Yet it replays over, and over again,” he growled, “on a constant f*****g loop!”

“You need to talk to someone about what happened to you–”

“I can’t,” he snapped, his eyes shimmering with tears. “I don’t want to think about it ever again–”

“Xander–” My voice broke around his name, especially as he hung his head and brought his hands to his face. I’d seen that same look in Oliver and Charlie’s eyes–pure, unadulterated grief. Terror. Fear, and confusion. Whenever I looked at my sons, I saw them as they’d been when they were young, their eyes shining with excitement and wonder. Xander had been a little boy once. He’d been loved, cherished. He likely had someone back home who was crushed at the thought of him facing the violence we’d just defeated.

Those boys… these children… my children–they’d never be the same again.

“You’re going to be alright,” I said through a sob. Xander didn’t look at me, his eyes downcast on the concrete. “Everything is going to be alright.”

“I could have killed her,” he whispered.

sob threatening to spill from my throat and

f*****g blink. I haven’t slept in

lean against the terrace. He was looking toward the forest, his eyes

sheets while trying to get my heartbeat to regulate. I heard Lena scream his name, and I knew

Troy was here right now. He would

my mouth pressed together and my eyes squeezed shut at the mention of Oliver. Tears spilled down my cheeks as I tried to

saw Oliver briefly,” Xander whispered. “He was… he seemed like he was holding

my son. I knew that what he’d done

away from Xander, wiping my eyes as I turned back to the forest. I hadn’t cried in a long time; I hadn’t had a reason to.

root tincture every few days,” I said, hiccuping. “I tried it, but it did nothing for

I met his

with the… symptoms, after being bitten–chills, fever, things like that. Troy said it was helping some of our

did

around myself. “I wasn’t bitten.

eyes fixed on the house. I could feel his guilt and inner turmoil from where I was standing a few paces away from

going to be

can’t sleep

that to her,” I coaxed, but he shook

thought some of this was just… being separated from my mate. I felt better today than I have in weeks, Maeve. But then the second I closed my eyes I just… it all came back.” He cleared his throat, running his fingers through his hair and ruffling it in frustration. “My people are suffering.

“Xander–”

just hurt my mate. I was strangling

her about this,” I pleaded. “Lena

beyond the powers of the

what I’m

to do? What if I hurt her, our daughter?” His voice cracked and he shook

Lena knew him. I just knew he was a warrior. I’d seen the same c*****e he’d seen. I saw my sons when I looked into his eyes, saw the same sadness

ripped our world in half, and it would be years until we figured out how to pick up the

I whispered.

“I will.”

talk to

going to Crimson Creek tomorrow,”

wasn’t going to be happy that Lena was traveling while she was this far along, but neither of us would stop her. I’d see to