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

it matter? Hanna was leaving. There was

of jade in my pocket

thought, until i was standing at the bottom of the

step did she open the door, her black hair hanging loose

stars. I needed to be at the

it.

shovel the stairs for you again, but 1-” | started, motioning toward the three

light. “It’s okay, Rowan. Pete

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 would never understand why she felt like I

you’re leaving

have to… I

truth was, I likely wouldn’t be returning to Winter Forest for a long time. Dad had called a

Alpha of Drogomor, officially. And

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

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

into her eyes for a split sec ond before I turned and walked away, letting the dark of our early

was idling only ten yards away on the ice-covered river. He handed George to Gemma, who immediately started fussing over the white snowsuit George was wearing, which made

Gretchen had knit for him, and he was

her

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

reaching back to hand Ernest a headset, which he put over Gemma’s hat, securing the headset over Gemma’s ears. I reached down to the controls

forward to allow Gemma to climb into her seat, and put it

this thing?” he joked with a wide smile,

and his laugh boomed

pale as she sat behind us with

glare from Gemma. “We’re just waiting on

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 young cousins into

sitting in the co-pilot seat. If the pilot was

to fly the plane

vessel. It had only two rows of seats, big enough to carry 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, the heavy vibration in

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

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 were both far from

Gemma glared forward