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?”

could see the outline of his cock in the comically tiny shorts 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

“Aaron!”

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

to gauge whether

fact, he told me his own mother had the same vision, and she was the

skin prickling with a

mother, but seers were rare if they were real at all. At least, that’s what my parents told me after Aaron’s own mother cursed me, after his accident.

He said he thought it was just a dream until his mom said something about it. This all happened shortly before they

tightening in my chest at his words. My Uncle Talon and Aunt Georgia had ruled over Drogomor in my father’s place. 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 I do know Ernest became Alpha at a ridiculously young age, sixteen

believes it. I tried to

true,” I said with

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

mother

couldn’t have. It’s not real, just like

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 only smiled. She smiled because

saying, Maeve? That something an angry woman said now determines your future? How do you know

his eyes lingering on mine. “She believed it. I could see it in her

exactly is this

at the floor. “That I

“Well, when’s your birthday?”

looked up at him.”Not

until August.” He stood, holding out his hand to me and shaking it

“Where are we going?”

he’s being an

said

I changed my

arched my brow as I took his hand, suspicious beyond measure. Aaron was a master of deflection. He obviously didn’t want to talk about the day he got hurt in front of me, or his mother,

were surprised to see Ernest walking quickly down the corridor away from us,

Where are you

grasp, but he squeezed my hand, tucking it behind

turned, looking flustered. “I forgot the Alpha of Greenbriar was arriving for a conference today. I have to go down to the village to escort him to the castle. Give him a little tour.” He sighed deeply, running his

digging my fingernails into Aaron’s hand. I felt him stiffen beside me and inhale, but his face was calm and firmly

about this guy.

need the fresh 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 the corridor where it wound back toward the grand

the shadows, his owlish eyes watching the three of us. I swallowed, exhaling as Aaron removed his heel from my toes. It had

But why?

Aaron said, still looking over the top of Ernest’s head at the figure lurking in the shadows. Did I just see him narrow his

station to the road leading to the castle. Lance will meet them there. I’d definitely feel better if