Sould As The Alpha King's Breeder

Chapter 17: Ernest’s Mate

Maeve

“Don’t say your name? Why?”

*Just in that context. I don’t… we can’t-”

“I know,” I said hurriedly, feeling foolish. It couldn’t be personal. That had to be what he meant. I fidgeted, looking past him toward the door. He followed my gaze, then snapped his head back around, giving me a serious look.

“Leave them alone, Maeve. I know what you’re thinking.”

“I just really need to talk to Ernest—”

“No, you don’t.”

“You don’t understand, Aaron. Gemma is in a bit of a crisis right now,”

“Because they’re mates? That doesn’t sound like a crisis to me.” He stood there, staring at me blankly as my jaw dropped open.

“How the hell did you know that?”

“Uh, he told me? Is it supposed to be a secret-”

I turned from him, pacing over to a set of couches that had been pushed up against the wall so that the maid could polish and wax the floor. I felt a little guilty as I looked down at the very obvious footprints left in the fresh wax, but the room was rarely used. It was my first time spending more than a few minutes here myself. “Well, if you know about it then it’s not a secret, is it?”

He shrugged, reaching up to crack open the window. “What do you need to talk to him about that’s so pressing you’d interrupt them?”

“I wasn’t going to interrupt them,” I lied, pursing my lips as he cast me an incredulous look. “I just wanted to talk to him privately.”

“About why he won’t marry and have children?”

Igaped at him again, my jaw nearly hitting the floor. “You know about that? You know why?”

“Yeah, he told me all about it.” Aaron’s tone was so casual that I laughed, unable to stop myself. He peered at me, tilting his head as I sat down on one of the dusty couches. “Do you seriously not know? How could you not know? Your whole reason for being here is to produce the heir he refuses,”

“Refuses? No, he can’t have children.”

“Oh, he’s perfectly capable of having children.”

“1-How?”

he was wearing, and he made no move to hide it, either. He caught my gaze and I blushed, which was actually the reaction he had wanted. His mouth twitched into a smile as he stretched his arms above his head, groaning loudly

“Aaron!”

both of his feet on the couch, facing me. “Ernest said he had a vision that his mate

gauge whether or not Aaron was messing with

me his own mother had the same vision,

my skin prickling with a chill

after Aaron’s own mother cursed

sounds. He said he thought it was just a dream until his mom said something

Dad wanted to be in Winter Forest with us, not thousands of miles away in Valoria. I didn’t know the details of the exchange of power, but

it. I tried to talk him out of

probably true,” I

fanciful at best-” He paused, the muscles of his neck contracting in the dim light as he swallowed. “You’re not cursed,

mother

It’s not real, just like Ernest’s vision

come into my power. I was. I told the nurse in the infirmary to save some of my blood for healing and she only… she

now determines your future? How do you know your blood doesn’t have

was watching me intentionally, his eyes lingering on mine. “She believed it. I could see it in her

is this

my knees to look down at the floor. “That I won’t find my mate. That I won’t come into my powers as

“Well, when’s your birthday?”

up at him.”Not until

August.” He stood, holding

“Where are we going?”

tell Ernest he’s being

said not to

changed

talk about the day he got hurt in front of me, or his mother, or my possible curse. But, I was thankful for the break

surprised to see Ernest walking quickly down the corridor away

you going?” Aaron

his grasp, but he squeezed my hand, tucking it behind his back, and we all came to stop in the

arriving for a conference today. I have to go down to the village to escort him

face was calm and firmly fixed on Ernest. Ernest ran his fingers through his hair

about this guy. Lance says he’s

air and you need to work things out with—”Aaron stepped backward, his heel crunching my toes. I let out my breath in a hiss, glancing up at him and noticing the abrupt change in his demeanor. He was looking forward, his gaze traveling well past Ernest and into a darkened corner of

us. I swallowed, exhaling

But why?

guy, how does that sound?” Aaron said, still looking over the top of Ernest’s head at the figure lurking in the shadows. Did I just

to the road leading to the castle. Lance will meet them there.