Sold AS The alpha King's Breeder

Chapter 798

Chapter 9 : Jared’s Not in the House

*Eliza*

Rain thundered against the house for the rest of the day.

I spent the remainder of the afternoon in the laundry stirring the vats of scalding water and mending alongside Scarlett, the two of us enjoying several hours of contemplative silence.

The quiet and steady manual labor was a welcome break, and gave me the time I needed to mull over not only my situation, but the conflicting feelings that were creeping in and out of my mind since my strange run-in with Jared near the edge of what he called the Dark Forest.

He’d given me some insight into the layout of the land. The Dark Forest was north and filled with danger, that was clear. But to the south?

He’d said something about the sea, and where there was a sea, there was a boat.

A boat that could, potentially, take me home.

But no matter how hard I tried to make a plan of escape, my mind continually drifted back to Jared. His touch had heated my skin. His voice, dripping with concern, had made my breath catch in my throat. And his eyes? Well, I’d found myself fixed on them, lost in the inky depths of what I honestly believed to be his soul. I saw darkness there, but I also saw fire, the same fire I felt within myself.

I was curious about him. I was… starting to want him, or wanting to know more about him. I wasn’t totally sure. But I knew my body and my mind were at odds over the matter.

Wringing out several baskets worth of wet laundry was my only respite from my internal conflicts. Scarlett and I carried the sodden clothes and hung them on racks in the communal sitting room before a roaring fire to dry.

Our work finally complete, we walked into the dining room, taking a seat on either side of the long, wooden table as other servants began to trickle in to convene over plates of roast chicken and mashed potatoes.

I was starving, and barely noticed that Jared and Archer had come in and were sitting at the opposite end of the table until I lifted my gaze from my plate to reach for seconds.

Jared looked entirely at ease, wearing a fresh shirt and trousers, free of his leather vest and belt heavy with weapons. I held my gaze on him for a moment, taking in the sharp line of his jaw and his softly curling black hair that brushed against the tops of his ears. He had his sleeves rolled up, and I noticed with a start the tattoos that roped around his forearms, lines of deep black and gray that moved in a rhythmic pattern back under the sleeves of his shirt. He turned before I could tear my eyes away, and our eyes met for a fraction of a second before I looked back down at my plate, stifling a blush.

“Get yourself together,” I whispered to myself, toying with my food.

Miriam brought out dessert, which was met by applause. Even Jared was smiling, beaming up at her as she set the cake in the center of the long table, blushing with pride. My stomach was in knots as I stole another glance at Jared before rising from my seat and carrying my plate to the kitchen, feeling slightly overwhelmed.

There was a name for this, I was sure. I was out of my mind to even be considering feelings for Jared. He’d taken me here against my will, and had refused to give me the option to leave.

sink, watching it disappear beneath the

***

women of the house slept. “Attic” wasn’t really the right word for it. It was cozy and clean, and several rooms took up a space that covered both the length

a hook before turning around and heading toward my bed, but then stopped

large, leather-bound book resting at the

need to go any closer to know what it was. I’d read it before… suffered

had left it for me,

with the clasps of my dress, glaring down at the book as I changed into a thick flannel nightgown. I continued to stare at the book in the reflection of the vanity as I brushed my hair. I didn’t touch the book until I’d returned from brushing my teeth, and even then I had little interest in accepting what Jared must have meant to be a

study–the same study he wouldn’t let me access, in the same house I where was

try to sleep, I pulled the book into my lap and looked down at the worn cover. It was an old retelling

during my last year of college, pouring over every page and comparing it to the scripts donated to the University by the Alpha King of Egoren himself. The purpose was so that our realm would be better educated in the true

text and the room I was sitting in suddenly claustrophobic. Scarlett came into the room,

“Hi,” I smiled.

a soft smile in return before removing her apron and

mending is making progress,” she yawned.

said,

was the most Scarlett had ever spoken to me, and I felt incredibly proud of myself as I slipped out of bed and fetched one of the

for a while,” I said, but Scarlett was already asleep, her eyelashes fluttering against her pale

from the room and walked down the stairs into the depths of the house until I reached the first floor. There was a wide front porch attached to the house, and it was covered to protect it from the elements. I could sit on one of the benches and listen to the

meant he was thinking about

his trust? And if so, could I potentially ask for access to his sacred

one of the benches on the other side of the porch. I nearly jumped out of my skin,

me!”

into the

here,” he said, tilting his head toward

my mind,” I said, tapping a finger against my temple as I slumped against

against one of the columns holding

are you doing out

in a little

all doing in

a wet spring,” he began, motioning to the steady downpour, “and our usual trail was washed