Sould As The Alpha King's Breeder

Chapter 9 Grandfather, It’s Me

Aaron

I could hear her quick footsteps behind me, her sandals tapping on the stone pavers as she struggled to keep up. “Aaron!”

“What?!” 1 rounded on her and she stopped short, skidding to a stop a few feet from where I stood. She had followed me out of the garden and across the wide stone walkway that led from the castle to the outskirts of the village below. “What, Maeve?”

“Why did you just walk away? I was talking,”

“I don’t want to talk about that day, alright? I’m sorry I’m not-not practically deformed, like you assumed.”

Her mouth dropped open for a second, then she snapped it shut, her sapphire eyes narrowing into cat-like slits. “I never said you were deformed!”

“You thought I should have been. Your memory is lacking, Maeve. How old were you? Six? Seven?”

“I was ten, Aaron-”

Ah, see? How much could you possibly remember from back then?” Sweat was prickling on my brow. I dug my fingernails into the palm of my hands, waiting for her reply.

Oh, Maeve was an open book. Every emotion danced across her face. She had no control of the furious red blush that spread across her cheeks and neck. She was a vision in the cream-colored set she was wearing, the loose fabric trembling in the breeze. Her hair was falling over her shoulders, long and bleached a vibrant golden color that reminded me of the vivid sunsets back home, when the sun turned the ocean a warm, pinkish orange as it dipped below the horizon.

She was beautiful. I couldn’t deny it. I wanted to reach out and touch the half-moon scar on her chest as she stood in front of me, slicing into my soul with her gaze. She had freckles all along her collarbones, surrounding the scar like constellations in a

cloudless sky.

I would draw her like this, standing in the field with the sun behind her and golden blades of grass at her feet, just like I had drawn her the night after I met her for the first time in the market, drawing her with her mouth stretched into a wide, full smile and her

eyes creased with laughter.

capture with my pencil. That look behind her eyes whenever she was vexed, something like excitement. Something that told

I said flatly, knowing my comment would send a fresh ripple of emotion through

between us, her chin jutted forward, and her eyes narrowed into slits as she looked up at me. “I’m being

every attribute of someone who had grown up with boys, especially brothers. She wasn’t the meek, submissive type of

when she attempted to knee me in the groin, I caught her by the thigh, tossing her sideways into the tall

scoffed as she stood, picking pieces of grass from her hair and securing the hat snuggly on her head.

of course, but the kiss hadn’t been, and I knew she

the garden had just been chance, and I could tell by the look in her eye that she had mischief on her mind. She wanted a fight, for whatever reason, and I had never turned down a fight in my

all you got?” I said, balling my hands

her head as she trembled, her tears wet against my skin. “I’m sorry. I was being too rough. I can’t-I can’t read emotions well. I try, but,” Suddenly I remembered I was half naked and covered in charcoal from cutting down that charred tree, and I pushed her away, my hands on her shoulders as I held her at arm’s length. She was covered in it, black smears all down her chest and arms. She looked down, tears rolling from her cheeks and onto her neck as she did so. “Oh,” she said softly, sniffing. “Gemma– Gemma is going to be so mad. This is new.” “Maeve, I’m sorry.” She touched the black stain on her shirt and rubbed the charcoal between two of her fingers. “Why weren’t you like this

young.. insecure, maybe.” I said, hoping I sounded

an even brighter blue than before as if the light was reflecting off the tears that lingered on

I was probably severely concussed. I don’t remember

I didn’t even

to you that I had a scar?” I

that Aaron,” she said, her face undergoing a rapid change. She was suddenly serious.

“Why?”

I let her go, letting my hands

matters to you. A lot,” I said, matter-of-factly. “Every time you look at me it looks like you’re about to fight me, yell at me, or

touched the side of her mouth, fading as quickly as it had

all too well. I looked over the top of Maeve’s head as an elderly man came to a stop along the stone walkway, his eyes cold and narrowed as

Maeve turned around, startled.

fingers knitted, his face drawn and expressionless as he nodded his head at Maeve in greeting. “You’re needed in

me, her arms wrapped around her

I said quickly, not taking my eyes off Horace. She tensed, sensing the tension in the air as she passed Horace and continued up the walkway, looking back over her shoulder at me before

Horace growled, his black eyes fixed on