Sould As The Alpha King's Breeder

Chapter 23: Train Ride to Nowhere

Troy

I was in deep.

Totally and completely in over my head.

And as I watched Horace approach, his gnarled figure limping through the garden as though he were simply out on a stroll, I tensed, my shoulders tight and rigid as I straightened up to my full height and leaned the rake I was holding against one of the freshly pruned bushes.

The garden had become our meeting place after Maeve had caught me on the outskirts of the castle grounds on my first day in residence. Horace and I had been leaving notes to each other beneath a pile of fallen stones in the dilapidated shed since I arrived in Valoria several weeks ago as prepared to masquerade as Aaron, the breeder. Aaron, the one I knew she was falling in love with.

She didn’t know me. She couldn’t know me. And when she cried out his name while I moved within her, I could have screamed and beat my fists in agony. Oh, I was in trouble. Meeting my mate was not part of the plan.

Neither was trying to save her life.

I was here to trick her, to stall until Damian’s warriors arrived to take over the castle. That was the original plan, at least. No one had said a thing about killing her. Romero wanted me to actually bed her and get her pregnant, potentially holding her hostage until the child was born and Romero could do away with her, or worse, keep her alive to harness her powers.

But I wasn’t Romero’s pawn. I hadn’t even known he existed until the Persephone made port in Avondale, the capital of the Isles, six months ago when Alpha Damian demanded my presence and vaguely explained the mission.

I never considered myself part of Poldesse. We smugględ and pirated for them, sure, but I had grown up running wild with the other orphaned “beach rats” until Keaton had stolen enough coins and gems to have the rotten body of the Persephone towed from its shallow grave on a beach on the island of Suntra and fully renovate her.

Then we sailed the high seas. That was my home. My pack. That was where my loyalties lie.

But then I found out I had a living grandfather, and everything changed.

I would have done anything to know him, to look upon his face and maybe, just maybe, see a hint of the mother I couldn’t remember.

But Romero was a monster. A sick, deranged old man. And as I stood in the garden waiting for Horace to make his way toward me, I realized how much of a monster I was being to Maeve myself.

I had to get out of it. I had to get her out of it.

“So, it’s done? You’ve-”

“Slept with her?” I hissed, keeping my voice low lest the gardeners were listening. I always spent my mornings in the garden, not having much else to do. The physical labor was good for me.

“Yes. Were you successful?”

grass. Horace’s lips stretched into a thin smile as he watched me, my obvious disdain for him seemingly adding years to his life. He was always

of Maeve, I

the pile of gardening equipment and pushed past Horace, who looked

“Where are you going?”

into slits. “Did Ernest not tell you? He’s sending me on an errand. I’ll be back tomorrow night.” It

you. You need to be at the castle,” Horace said quickly, his voice low and beady eyes scanning the garden as he took a step toward me, his arm outstretched as though the skeleton of a man was going to attempt to grab me and physically prevent

obviously,” I snorted, looking up at Romero’s tower for

back here, you insolent

and out onto the pathway leading down into the village through the greenbelt. I beelined for the trees, cursing under my breath that I hadn’t had time to change out of the dirt-smeared jeans and T-shirt I was wearing. I picked grass clippings from my hair as I walked, tripping over a few roots on my way down. Maeve was supposed to meet me at

***

Train Ride to

mean you’re leaving?” Maeve took the glass of sparkling water

I’ll be

has you going on?” She sipped her drink, her

the day. We hadn’t been together intimately since that night in the library a week ago. I had been trying to avoid her as much as I could. I

have to fetch something from the port for him,” I said, gripping my pint of beer for dear life as the image faded from

from her glass again, then made a

“What’s the matter?”

to the port and not one of his

brow, looking out over the street where the market stalls were flooding

know.

her face somewhat clouded with

you upset?”

“What happens now, Aaron?”

mentioned Aaron’s name. I knew this

time. What’s the plan? I thought helplessly. looking over at her and trying to steel my expression. Damian’s men

if I could get word to the

looking into her eyes.

the back of my hand. I stood and rounded the table, squeezing her shoulder as I bent down, whispering, “We can talk about this later. I have to go if I’m going to make the

my touch left her skin, and I walked off the curb. I tucked them in the pockets of my

the port at least once during my stay. I knew Keaton wouldn’t be a part of Damian’s invasion, he had made that very clear. But, I needed to catch her first and get word to Keaton somehow, let him know I needed him to linger in the

be bringing Maeve with

ticket and waited on the platform, glancing over my shoulder every once and

Mirage. The railway to the port