Sold AS The alpha King's Breeder

*Sasha*

Gasping, I woke up and sat bolt upright. Images of a magical orb artifact still floated in my mind from the dream I was having.

For several nights in a row, I was plagued with dreams of that same orb. It was magical somehow, but I couldn’t remember the details.

Groaning, I leaned forward and rubbed my temples. A shadow figure of a man swirled in front of my eyes. He was in the dream too. Sometimes, he was holding the orb out to me. Other times, he was just moving on the edge of my vision.

I never got a clear look at his face, but something in my heart told me I could trust him.

He was just a shadow, and the orb was just a dream.

Sighing, I dropped my hands and looked around my room. My wedding dress hung on the back of my closet door, still safe in its dress bag. My bachelorette party dress was draped over my desk chair across from my bed.

Some shoes and other odds and ends I needed for the upcoming wedding were scattered around, along with the magazines I’d been using to plan the wedding.

“You up yet, Sasha?” Donovan poked his head in.

I glanced up and nodded, smiling.

“Great. I was hoping you could make me some breakfast before I go to work.”

“Oh… yeah.” I put my legs over the side of the bed and grabbed my robe.

“Thanks. I’ve got to leave in about ten minutes, so, hurry, hurry.” Donovan blew me a kiss and left the room.

I stared after him for a moment. Yeah, that was the guy I was marrying. Some days, it seemed like the best decision in the world. Other days, it felt like this, like I was some live-in servant.

I threw my hair up and headed to the kitchen. Donovan drank his coffee and read the morning paper while I threw together an omelet for him.

“You remember that my bachelorette party is tonight, right?” I set the plate in front of him.

He didn’t even look up at me. “Yeah, I know. You’ll have a good time.”

“I plan to.”

“Good, good.” He still didn’t look at me, or thank me, as he dug into his omelet.

Sighing, I went back to the stove and started making my own breakfast.

After a few minutes, Donovan came up behind me. He kissed my cheek.

“Are you ready to get married?”

I nodded.

“Good, because I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time.” He kissed my cheek again and left. He never told me to have a good day or that he couldn’t wait to see me at the end of the day.

When I went to eat my own breakfast, I noticed that he left all his dishes on the table, one with a half-eaten omelet.

My shoulders sagged and I shook my head.

Well, this was the life I signed up for. I’d agreed to marry him, and it was too late to turn back now.

I cleaned up the kitchen, humming to myself. The whole time, I kept thinking of that stunning emerald I’d seen at the jewelry store a few days before. I walked past it almost every day while I was finishing up wedding plans. It seemed so familiar, and there was a part of me that didn’t feel like my wedding would be complete without it.

I did a little more tidying around the house before I headed into town to pick up the printed schedules for the day of the wedding. They listed members of the wedding party, the officiant, and a general schedule of when the ceremony would start and the reception.

On my way back home, I stopped at the jewelry store again. The little emerald pendant still sat in the window. This time, instead of staring at it all day, I went inside. There was just something about the pendant and the closer the wedding got, the stronger my desire to touch it and wear it became.

The store was filled with glass cases that showed off all kinds of jewelry–rings, pendants, earrings, and bracelets. They all had different kinds of gemstones of varying levels of rarity and purity. Everything sparkled as I walked through the aisles.

“Can I help you?” the jeweler asked.

“There’s an emerald in the window that I’d like to take a look at.”

He nodded and went to the window. When he returned, he had the emerald pendant. He set it on the counter in front of me and pulled out a matching chain from another jewelry case.

“This is truly a lovely piece. And this chain matches it perfectly. Do you have a special vacation you’re considering it for?”

“Well, I’m getting married in a few days.”

“This emerald would truly make you into a princess bride.”

The jeweler slipped the emerald on the chain. He walked behind me and looped it around my neck. There was a mirror behind the counter and I saw my reflection with the gorgeous pendant.

I touched the pendant, holding it between my fingers. I couldn’t explain it, but it felt like it belonged to me. I never wanted to take it off.

“I love it. I’ll take it.”

The jeweler packed it into a little box for me but as soon as I was outside, I put it back around my neck.

That’s much better, I thought.

When the sun went down, I met my bridesmaids at the bar. They were so happy and excited about the wedding. I put on a big smile and joked with them, but I wasn’t feeling the same levels of excitement.

For some reason, whenever I touched the pendant, I thought about the dreams I was having, about the orb and the mysterious man. My mind kept wandering despite being surrounded by my friends.

I looked around the bar and saw a man close by staring at me. Something was familiar about him, and I absently touched the emerald again.

“Come dance with us,” one of my bridesmaids begged.

I had that nagging feeling that I forgot something, like I’d left the oven on before leaving the house. I knew it was a reaction to that guy.

“Go on without me. I’ll catch up.”

The man came closer. He gave me a friendly smile and held his hand out to me. Suddenly, I got a flash of the mysterious man from my dream.

“Sasha.”

“Who are you?” I took a step back.

“My name is Lucas. I know you don’t remember, but we know each other pretty well.”

I creased my brow. Suddenly, I felt like this guy was not someone who I wanted to talk to. He was already talking crazy.

“I don’t think so.”

“Really, Sasha, I promise you.” He looked at me with pleading eyes, his hand still outstretched.

I bit my lower lip and eyed his hand. There was a large part of me that wanted to believe him and trust him.

My heart urged me to do it. But the nagging in my brain held me back. Something about him was so familiar and… uncomfortable.

“We really know each other? You know that sounds a little crazy, right?”

“I wish I didn’t have to spring this on you, Sasha. But we need to act fast. Time is running out.”

“Time? What are you talking—No, you know what, I don’t want to know.” I shook my head and crossed my arms.

The man, Lucas, sighed and dropped his hand. His expression changed and suddenly, I knew him….

“You!” I snapped, pointing a finger in his face.

Lucas stared at me, startled. “Um….”

“I remember you! You’re nothing but a bully! You bullied me when I was a kid. You broke my bracelet.”

He gave me a sheepish look and glanced from side to side. “Oh… so that did happen here, too.”