Sould As The Alpha King's Breeder

Chapter 94 : I Kissed Her

Rowan

“It wasn’t easy,” said the metalsmith as he wiped his grimy hands on a rag. He spun around in his car, plopping a small, smooth ring in the palm of my hand. “You were right about the stone; it was jade-a sizable, practically flawless hunk of it. Say, where did you find it?”

“On the beach,” I said softly, turning the ring over in my hand.

The entire thing was made of jade, carved right out of the stone Hanna had found on our walk on the beach several weeks before the snow had begun to fall. That was months ago, I thought, wrapping my fingers around the ring. Things had some how felt easier then.

“There’s enough of the mother-stone left for a second ring, at least partially. Half would need to be metal of some kind, I rec ommend platinum. It’s what I used to give the first ring support, you see.”

“It’s… it’s fine. It’s just a gift.”

A parting gift.

Something I had planned on giving to Hanna under very different circumstances. I had carried that damn rock around in my jacket since the day she found it, marveling at the pale sea–green band of jade running through it whenever I had a moment of solitude to fish it out of its resting place.

I had imagined making a ring with it, one of pure jade, think ing the color would look perfect against the paleness of her skin. I

had imagined slipping it onto her finger and taking her hand in mine, as my wife.

I swallowed back the pain and paid the metalsmith, thanking him for his time. The ring felt heavy in my hand as I walked through the center of the village, crossing the road leading up to my house and through the woods toward Hanna’s cabin.

It had been a week since Maeve and my parents left for Mirage. Two days ago, a pilot from Mirage had arrived in a Cessna 210, large enough to fit six passengers. He had come bearing news of Maeve, but we didn’t have much time to grieve her experience. She was fine, as were my three nephews, but the large seaplane that had been carting my family back and forth to Mi rage for decades had crash-landed and needed repairs.

We had all been summoned to Mirage. And I knew in my absence, Hanna would likely go back to Red Lakes as planned.

I wanted to ask her to come with me. I was ready to beg. But I knew it would be fruitless.

Any future I had with her seemed to evaporate the second she told Maeve and me what she had seen in her vision of Maeve’ s future. Maeve and Troy had been discussing what sounded like a succession of sorts, facilitated by my dad. My interpretation of the dream was that one of their sons was ascending a throne, which couldn’t have been Troy’s soon-to-be – title of Alpha of Poldesse. That left only two options: Alpha King of Valoria, or Al pha of Drogomor.

Which were the titles I was meant to inherit.

Which could only mean that I would have no children to pass them on to.

1 The only shred of hope I had was that Hanna had been Wrong about only two of the triplets surviving. The entire vision

but what did it matter? Hanna was leaving. There

carry the hunk of jade in my pocket any

i was standing

the first step did she open the door, her black hair

stars. I needed to be at the seldom used and grossly neglected landing strip outside of the village in

it. This was

| started, motioning toward the three or so inches

her eyes shining in the porch light. “It’s okay, Rowan. Pete can do it. You’ve… it’s been a

hand. I wanted nothing more than to toss it to her without a word and run then try to continue to stifle the heavy, overwhelming heartbreak. I understood her reasonings for want ing-no, needing to leave. But I

said you’re leaving

actually. I have to… I wanted

weren’t here when I re turned.” I climbed a single step, unsure if my feet would let me go any further. The truth was, I likely

be made Alpha of Drogomor, officially. And I would set up

looked up at Hanna, holding out my hand. I placed the ring in her open palm, wrapping my hand around

found on the beach. I thought… I want you to have it, despite everything. I couldn’t leave without knowing you had it. I don’t expect you to wear it. I don’t expect… I don’t expect anything. I respect you, Hanna. I respect you as much as I love you… and Goddess, I love you. I just needed you to know

my hand from hers, looking into her eyes for a split sec ond before I turned and walked away, letting

ten yards away on the

were sticking out of the bright purple wool hat Gretchen had knit for him, and he was staring forward at the dashboard of

asked, her voice distorted

her the fluffy blanket in question, then stepped into the plane to drape a heavy wool blanket

he put over Gemma’s hat, securing the headset over Gemma’s ears. I reached down to the controls and switched on

which had been folded forward to allow Gemma to climb into her seat,

to fly this thing?” he joked with

mic, and his laugh boomed in

looking a little pale as she sat behind us

six months old,” I laughed, which elicited a steely glare from Gemma. “We’re just waiting on the

had taught me how to fly. He was a shitty pilot, howev er, and Mom and Dad had allowed me to take actual lessons from someone in Winter Forest when I turned eighteen. I turned my gaze to the other plane, watching as Georgia and Vicky settled all three of my

If the pilot was smart,

to fly

four adults at the most. It also didn’t have heat, so we were all bundled up in parkas and heavy gloves. George seemed fine with the arrangement, and within minutes,

voice cut through my headset, and I turned to look at her, adjusting my

hours, but we’re going with the wind, not against it. We’re landing on the strip near the castle so that cuts our trip short.” And that was the truth. The seaplane could fit our entire family in comfort but needed to be landed at the port or the lake, which

if you crash!” Gemma glared forward and swallowed hard,