Sould As The Alpha King's Breeder

Chapter 83 : Common Ground

Troy

Well, I was still alive.

I hadn’t been sure what to expect when we finally reached Maeve’s homeland, but I thought Maeve would have been more at peace.

Instead, I watched her crumble at the edge of her parents’ bed, the moonstones in her hands, realizing the act of bringing them together hadn’t worked.

That had been the first time I met her mother, the famous White Queen Rosalie… my future mother-in-law, if Ethan didn’t kill me before a wedding could take place.

We had been in Winter Forest for a full day at that point, and my conversations with Ethan had been short and to the point. I had turned over Opaline to him. I had returned his daughter to her pack. I had given him a complete report on everything that had happened from the moment I first stepped foot in Valoria to the day our boat pulled into the inlet that hugged the shore of Winters Forest’s main village.

Outside of that, he didn’t even look in my direction.

I was only slightly embarrassed that I fell off the dock in front of him, but Rowan made me look slightly better than himself when he jumped in a second time to help me get the moonstone before it was carried away by the tide.

The icy, glacial water had been a baptism of some kind, something that cemented an unlikely friendship between Maeve‘s brother and

me.

So, I wasn’t entirely surprised when I woke up the next morning to Rowan in the doorway of Maeve’s bedroom, peering down at me.

“Why are you sleeping on the floor?” he asked in a whisper, arching his brow.

I ran my fingers through my hair and then over my face, rubbing my eyes. “More room down here,” I tilted my head toward the bed where Maeve was still sleeping like a rock with basically all of the pillows in the house tucked around her body. “What time is it?”

“A little after seven,” he replied, leaning against the doorway and crossing his arms over his chest. I looked out the window behind the bed, seeing nothing. It was pitch black. “The sun doesn’t come up until, like, eleven this time of year. You’ll get used to it.”

“Oh, yeah. I forgot.” I blinked a few times, my body and mind not yet acclimated to the strangeness of this place. The sun had set the day before at just after 3:00 p.m., and all my body wanted to do was sleep even though I wasn’t particularly tired.

“It’s hard on everyone for a while,” Rowan continued as I stood and folded up the blanket I had been sleeping on. I laid it over Maeve’s feet, which were peeking out of the thick quilt that she had tucked up around her ears. “How’s she doing?”

I could hear the guilt in his voice as his gaze shifted from me to the bed.

In truth, Maeve wasn’t well. She had cried until she fell asleep the night before, spilling her feelings about her homecoming to me while I held her, whispering reassurances against her neck. Maeve was a wreck, and I couldn’t blame her. It was mostly my fault.

me.

So, I wasn’t entirely surprised when I woke up the next morning to Rowan in the doorway of Maeve’s bedroom, peering down at me.

“Why are you sleeping on the floor?” he asked in a whisper, arching his brow.

I ran my fingers through my hair and then over my face, rubbing my eyes. “More room down here,” I tilted my head toward the bed where Maeve was still sleeping like a rock with basically all of the pillows in the house tucked around her body. “What time is it?”

“A little after seven,” he replied, leaning against the doorway and crossing his arms over his chest. I looked out the window behind the bed, seeing nothing. It was pitch black. “The sun doesn’t come up until, like, eleven this time of year. You’ll get used to it.”

“Oh, yeah. I forgot.” I blinked a few times, my body and mind not yet acclimated to the strangeness of this place. The sun had set the day before at just after 3:00 p.m., and all my body wanted to do was sleep even though I wasn’t particularly tired.

“It’s hard on everyone for a while,” Rowan continued as I stood and folded up the blanket I had been sleeping on. I laid it over Maeve’s feet, which were peeking out of the thick quilt that she had tucked up around her ears. “How’s she doing?”

I could hear the guilt in his voice as his gaze shifted from me to the bed.

In truth, Maeve wasn’t well. She had cried until she fell asleep the night before, spilling her feelings about her homecoming to me while I held her, whispering reassurances against her neck. Maeve was a wreck, and I couldn’t blame her. It was mostly my fault.

“She’s fine. Tired,” I answered shortly, pulling one of the thick knit sweaters Gretchen had laid out for me over my shoulders. Rowan watched me closely. His eyes were so much like Maeve’s, the same color and shape, in fact. But Rowan looked more like Rosalie in the face, at least in my opinion. He had his father’s jaw, though, which tightened and flexed whenever they held back their words.

was hoping she’d be awake, so I could… talk to her. Say

most days. It’s

said awkwardly, pursing his lips and tilting his head from side to side,

me to

came for you. I wanted to, uh, talk to you for a minute before Talon and Ernest get back from Mirage today.” Rowan shifted uncomfortably, then tilted his head toward the hallway. I nodded firmly, my chest tightening with anxiety as followed him down the hallway and

of breakfast sausage and coffee as she chopped potatoes. She looked up from the butcher block, her eyes creasing

my stomach tighten with anticipation. We had been eating nothing but dried food and grains for weeks, and no

breakfast.

kitchen island, and I followed suit, sipping my coffee

patient as I imagined you, Troy dear,” Gretchen said sweetly as she flipped the

over the rim of his coffee mug, smirking at Gretchen as she cast him a dirty look. She was a friendly older woman who exuded what I could only describe as “grandma energy,” and she looked the part as well, dressed in an apron decorated with embroidered tea pots and apples. She

say. So alike. It’s no wonder your mates are such quiet, humble people. Is Hanna coming up to the house today? I want to send her home with some blueberry jam my granddaughter made this

Gretchen grabbed two plates from the dishrack. “Could we get breakfast to go? Would that

of being uncomfortable. This was Rowan’s domain. Maeve’s childhood home. I was, to be blunt, an unwanted guest. Surely, Gretchen knew about the situation, having worked so closely with

with the plastic containers in his hands, thanking Gretchen as she filled two thermoses with coffee, which she handed to

helmet, Rowan. You know how your mother feels about those

said over his shoulder. “Thanks for

asked as we reached the stairwell that led down to the garage. I had slept there the night we arrived in Winter Forest, but it had

Rowan said simply, shrugging as I followed him down the stairs. “Ever

“I’m from the Isles,”

reached the bottom of the stairs, and the garage erupted into light. I took a moment to be

corner of the garage next to what looked like a tractor, both covered in tarps. I

I’ve never seen a vehicle that old before.” | ran my tongue along the

don’t know. It just showed up one day. He had to have it towed up here from the port, and it’s been sitting in the garage for fifteen years or so now. Mom says it takes

my shock, “I don’t think that matters that much.

I walked around, glancing at the tool bench before letting my gaze wander further into the recesses of the garage, which was double the length of the house, built like a basement beneath

room. I could see an icon bouncing around on what looked

computer?” I asked, turning

set down the helmet he was holding and inhaled deeply, his cheeks turning

“Yeah, it is.”

never

the apprehension in his voice, and I quickly realized why his cheeks had colored.

you serious? I‘ve only ever read about them. I didn’t think

of… of the dashboards on boats and planes.” The war had destroyed most of the technology to use them, so there was no

moment, his shoulders losing some of their tension as he picked up on my excitement. “I’m building more radio towers. I needed a way to test the frequency needed to connect the packs of Valoria and keep track of the data. It

earnestly, wanting nothing more than for him to show me exactly what he

balanced the helmet on

his lips and shaking his head. “I’m not supposed to like you, you

we spent the next fifteen minutes suiting up to take the snowmobiles out.

you how to ride one

if he could hear me. “You’re not planning on leading me away

head back, laughing. “You’re not who I was expecting you to be, Troy. I think that would be a waste. Plus, Dad would kill me if anything happened to that

***

the snowmobiles and stepped off of them. I looked out over the village, which seemed to be miles below us, the lights of the cabins just visible in the

like I could touch them. A green band of light danced over the mountains on the other side of the inlet, like a ribbon, casting a strange glow over the far

my helmet down on the snowmobile and lifted the thermos of

is worse than getting snowballs stuck

yeah. I

on our snowmobiles to eat in relative quiet, watching the

apologize for punching you,” Rowan