Sold AS The alpha King's Breeder

Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder Chapter 830

Chapter 41 : I Didn’t Miss

*Eliza*

Jared was gone for the rest of the day, leaving me alone in his huge bed. It was quiet in the house, and out the windows that lined the far wall of his bedroom, I could see people working in the gardens that circled the old manor. Large puddles of muddy water covered the village, reflecting the lights spilling from the cottages and shop fronts that wove along the well-beaten trail weaving through town.

I had no idea what Jared was up to. I also had no idea what exactly he wanted me to be doing right now.

I went through his dresser, trying to find something that would fit me other than the cotton pajamas I’d been wearing all day. All I had to my name was my journal, my pajamas, and the gray dress I wore during my job as a laundry maid… which Miriam hadn’t brought with her when dropping off my “things.”

I pulled out a soft, cream-colored long-sleeved shirt from his dresser, snapping it through the air to shake out the wrinkles. I changed into the shirt, which hit me mid-thigh. I rolled up the sleeves to my elbows and continued to rifle through his dresser, opening every single drawer until I found a pair of thick wool socks and a pair of thermal leggings that looked like they would have fit Jared when he was a child.

“Perfect,” I said, holding them up to test the length. I’d have to ask him for new clothes, I thought as I looked at myself in the mirror above the dresser. I ruffled my hair, grabbed my journal, and walked out of the room.

His study was just down the hall. I figured the best way to pass my time as the pretend lady of the house was to go through every book and artifact in his study and start to piece together the mystery of the Cryptex.

I closed the door behind me and looked around.

Dusty rays of muted daylight poured through the gaps in the shuttered windows. The bookshelves touched the ceiling on the far side of the snug room, some housing glass globes and crystals. It smelled like him in here, leather and parchment. I loved it, but also couldn’t work in conditions such as these. My mind was a tangled web in ordinary circumstances. I needed to do a little organizing, cleaning, and cataloging before any work could be done.

I knew Jared was going to be pissed I was touching his stuff, but I didn’t care. Wifely duties, right?

I walked to the windows and pushed open the shutters one by one until the room was filled with gray afternoon light, the smell of rain filling the room.

I set to work pulling books from the shelves, writing their titles and a brief description of their contents in my journal. I worked through a pile of books taller than me for what felt like several hours. I moved them into new homes, organizing them in sections by topic and content. He had quite a collection of lore and mythology, which would prove useful to us, I was sure, but I resisted the urge to start researching Draven and the Cryptex.

I needed to know everything he had in his collection and exactly where to find it, first.

Soon I’d gone through every single book he had in his study and cataloged every single one in my journal. This was a start, and a good one at that. Tomorrow morning I could wake up and get to work. I was impressed by the work I’d done today, smiling at myself as I looked down at his spotless desk and tidy shelves.

But I was impressed by him most of all. Some of his collection was just… unreal, a dream.

I couldn’t wait to talk to him about it the next time I saw him.

Another hour passed as I walked around the room, cataloging his collection of artifacts. By the time darkness fell and the room was cast in shadow, my journal was bursting with notes, and his study had never been so clean and organized.

I was just packing up to leave when I heard soft footsteps in the hallway outside the study, someone walking back and forth.

“Eliza? Are you up here?”

I opened the door to find Giselle and Scarlett standing in the hallway, both of them looking a little worried.

asked, stepping out of the study with my journal clutched to

you missed dinner, so I thought we

I let out the breath

like someone was seriously hurt, or dead!” I

Jared,” Scarlett whispered back, looking up and down the hallway before meeting

how to

this!” Giselle whispering, nudging Scarlett. “Effie’s apricot wine

began,

plenty of times! Come on, it’ll be

unsure, but Giselle turned her

I chirped. “I’ve

then, it’s getting

speaking in low whispers as people went about their evening routines. Giselle rifled through the coat closet, handing me the same jacket

Jared here at all?”

“I didn’t see

Interesting.

Lanterns lit the trail as we went along, our boots squelching in the mud and faces numbed by the mist-like

finally reached the tavern, which was a modest two-story building tucked in the center of the village, the largest building in the village other than the house it would seem. Its windows were well lit, shadows moving against them as we

in a fireplace that took up half the room. A bar stretched across the far side of the tavern,

if I was going to run into Jared here, but I didn’t see him or any

didn’t recognize while Scarlett and I sat down at

saw him last?” she asked

her, noticing the lines of concern etched

Ready to get home,” I said with

a bit as she turned her

the table, the pink-hued liquid bubbling lightly as she grinned at us. “It

flavor. Whoever Effie was, well, she could

everything I could about my experience at Aeris’s castle without giving too much away. I knew I could trust them, but I wasn’t sure how much they knew

glasses of wine, and Giselle got up to

the room as I was putting on my jacket and looked up

Scarlett breathed, the corners of her mouth tugging into a smile as I met her

“Are they mates?”

or not the mate bond

we exited the tavern, glancing over my shoulder and smiling as Giselle whispered what I assumed were sweet

we walked, and I followed her gaze to the sparring ring, where

I said lightly, making out Jared’s form in the group.

chance to meet,” came a feminine