Sould As The Alpha King's Breeder

Gemma

I walked through the house, my breath caught in my lungs. I felt out of body as I followed the warrior up the stairs, my eyes focused on the open door to Rosalie’s and Ethan’s bedroom as we climbed toward the top of the staircase.

It couldn’t be true. I couldn’t make sense of it.

“Send word to Mirage, immediately. I don’t care if you have to send runners over the Eastern Mountains. You must get word to Ethan, now!” I said harshly, my voice steady despite the storm of vicious emotions rippling through my body. I knew it was a fruitless effort on the warrior’s end. Ethan would have been able to feel Rosalie depart. He would know. He would,

Oh, Goddess, no. This can’t be real.

Rosalie was laid out in her bed, her eyes closed, and hands folded neatly over her chest. I fought against the sob that was tightening my throat and nodded, accepted the harsh, unfair reality, then turned away from her to wipe the tears from my eyes. I wouldn’t let them see me cry. Not Georgia, or Kacidra. No one.

Georgia and Shelly were downstairs tending to Hanna, who was breathing but hadn’t woken up. I hadn’t known about the plan Rosalie and Hanna had concocted. If I had, I would have stopped them. It was a stupid, useless endeavor, dark magic with now fatal ends.

The warrior had closed the door behind me when I entered the room.

I was alone with Rosalie’s body.

I forced myself to look at her again, letting my eyes linger on her face. Goddess, she looked so young. Too young to be dead. I felt a rush of fury and I screwed up my face into a scowl to stop myself from crying.

“What the hell were you thinking?”] hissed at her, hot tears welling in the corners of my eyes. “How-how could you leave us? How could you? Maeve-what about Maeve? She’s not ready-”

I balled my fist and punched the wall hard enough to put a hole in the drywall. I yelped, then fell to my knees, cradling my broken fingers with my other hand as I let the tears fall freely.

Oh, Maeve. Oh, Goddess, what were we going to do?

I heard the doorknob click and turn, and I rose, lunging forward to prevent it from opening but was too late. Kacidra walked into

the room, her eyes red and puffy from crying. She was a mess, her clothes tattered, and skin scratched from the glass that had covered what remained of the temple. She had a bandage wrapped around her head, and I could see the pools of blood soaking through the white fabric near the base of her skull. She had blood in her hair and on her face. She looked like death itself.

“What the f*ck are you doing in here? How dare you-“I began, my voice biting and edged with insatiable fury.

“Don’t speak to me that way,” she snapped, her eyes blazing. “You’re not a Luna yet, Gemma.”

“Get out!” I screeched, taking a step toward her.

But Kacidra was motionless, a challenging look etched into the fine details of her face. “Hanna didn’t do this,” she said sternly, assertively.

| almost laughed. “Oh, she didn’t? Then who,” *

“You won’t understand. I know you won’t even try to understand.”

“I’m not going to stand here and allow you to spout that nonsense about magic dreams and powers, Kacidra. Not at the foot of her bed. Have some fucking respect-”

“You’re not supposed to be alive, Gemma. You know it as much as I know it. Ernest knew you were dead when he carried you into the woods. You weren’t supposed to be standing here, right now. Why do you think you came back? Who do you think was responsible for that?”

gaped at her, shaking my head in disbelief. Ernest had recounted the tale of what happened to us after Poldesse invaded the

her sister murdered

Hanna!” she repeated

watching her face twist and then fall. I took a step forward, pointing at her with my good hand. “I didn’t

you. She

“Your sister killed”

I was there, Gemma! For f*ck’s sake, will you listen to me!” Kacidra stopped short of grabbing me by the

flaring as I took a step away from her and gave myself an opportunity to take a

me, whatever she tried to convince me was the truth, it didn’t matter. The White Queen

“Did you hear me?”

seeing for the first time the exhaustion and utter despair lingering behind her green eyes. “No-l…

with the swell of my pregnancy in the way. I found myself resting my chin on her shoulder, sniffling as tears continued

do we do

don’t know what to

Hanna,” she said

know if he will. I doubt… I doubt

back?” Her question

untangled

I still felt from the night at the castle that plagued my dreams, turning them

| turned from her, looking over at Rosalie

out in a similar fashion, lifeless. I reached up and ran my fingers over the necklace I was wearing, the circular moonstone set in white gold. I had a small burn mark on my chest, the scar only

grip Kacidra’s shoulder for support. She said something in alarm, but the blood

the invasion of the castle wasn’t the cloudless, morning sky above my head. It wasn’t Ernest’s voice lifted in

necklace my mother had given me. It was hot, so incredibly hot to the touch that I couldn’t help

dreamt it.

it was

her dreams? Something about a ring? No, there was something

shouted, reaching up to pull the necklace

out to try to grab my arm as I moved hastily

doing!” she cried as I crawled on all fours over the bed, essentially straddling Rosalie’s body. I pressed the necklace to her chest where the skin was exposed above her

Of course!” | was delirious. I had officially lost my mind as I ripped open her shirt to expose more

shoulders, trying to pull me away from Rosalie, but I shook her away, just as I lifted the piece of glass over the necklace and held my breath as a single drop

moonstone.

Nothing happened.

of her, Gemma! What if someone sees

don’t understand,” I said in a

I sunk to my knees next to

“She’s gone, Gemma.”

just thought-how could I have

suddenly, Kacidra tilted her head to the side, eyeing the

“Like what?”