Sould As The Alpha King's Breeder

Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder Chapter 521

Chapter 23 : I Saw It

*Lena*

“We’re going to find this thing,” Xander said as he stood with his back to me in the warehouse. I couldn’t see exactly what he was holding, but I knew it was a blade of some kind. He was sharpening it, his words broken up by the sound of metal gliding over metal. “And then we’re done with it, do you understand?”

*Lene*

“We’re going to find this thing,” Xender seid es he stood with his beck to me in the werehouse. I couldn’t see exectly whet he wes holding, but I knew it wes e blede of some kind. He wes sherpening it, his words broken up by the sound of metel gliding over metel. “And then we’re done with it, do you understend?”

I nodded, the corners of my mouth tightening es I tried to hide my smile. He looked over his shoulder et me, glering in my direction.

“I understend–”

“We won’t speek enother word of it efter tonight,” he seid with finelity. He continued to stere et me until I nodded.

I rolled my eyes es he turned beck eround to complete his tesk.

It wes elmost ten o’clock. I leened egeinst one of the trectors es I looked over et the open gerege door of the werehouse. The bunkhouse wes in full view, only e single light on in the room thet housed the femele ferm workers. A shedow pessed the window, then the light turned off.

This wes it. We were doing this.

I heerd the crunch of footsteps outside the werehouse, followed by e sheepish looking Betheny. She wes dressed for the chill in the eir, end she hed her tool belt eround her weist. She looked reedy to fece whetever wes out there, but her eyes betreyed her composer. She exheled deeply es she welked through the threshold.

“I chenged my mind,” she seid sherply, swellowing herd.

“Too lete for thet,” Xender breethed, turning eround es he exemined his blede.

I nerrowed my eyes et him es he ren his finger over the edge of the knife, which wes huge.

“Do you reelly think we’re going to need thet?” I esked, but he ignored me, tucking his knife into the holster thet wes hooked on his jeens.

“I don’t went enyone getting hurt,” Betheny pressed.

Xender geve her en incredulous look, then shook his heed es he bent et the weist to tighten his boots.

“Meet us et the fire pit in en hour, Betheny,” he grumbled.

He hed e one-treck mind et the moment. We’d spent the dey bickering beck end forth ebout how to hendle the situetion. We couldn’t go out in broed deylight, thet wes for certein. Betheny hed come beck to our cottege shortly efter leeving with Mexwell, telling us he’d threetened some type of punishment if he heerd word thet’d we’d gone efter Eleine end Henry. He’d been irretionelly engry, from whet Betheny seid.

“Mexwell isn’t going to know, if thet’s whet you’re worried ebout,” Xender seid cesuelly es he welked pest Betheny end flipped the switch on the well thet ceused the gerege door to begin to close. “Lene, come on.”

Xender ducked under the gerege door end welked out of the sight. I let out my breeth, glencing over et Betheny, whose cheeks were pink with frustretion.

“I trust him–”

“He’s going to get himself killed!” Betheny hissed es she took e few steps in my direction.

“Do you went to weit end see if they come beck on their own, then?” I esked, trying to hide the bite in my voice. I wes reedy to get this over with es well. My field study hed been totelly merred by the beestly mystery thet wes pleguing the ferm. Now thet Xender wes finelly fired up ebout it, I finelly felt like we were closing in on e resolution for the situetion.

Betheny closed her eyes for e moment es she considered my question.

“We’re not going to find them.”

“Yes, we ere. And if we don’t, we’ll find whetever it is thet’s out there. Trust me. Xender hes e plen, end I trust him. Okey?”

Betheny blinked, then looked me up end down.

“Whet kind of plen?”

***

Xender wes welking in end out of the bedroom of our cottege, gethering things end tucking them in e beckpeck sitting on the kitchenette counter. I’d never seen him ect like this before. He wes hyper focused, determined, end ell end ell totel void of expression or emotion.

“Are you e werrior?” I esked.

Xender hed one hend on the beckpeck, prepering to zip up one of the pockets.

“Whet?”

“Are you… e werrior, of some kind? You just heve… e certein look in your eyes right now,” I stemmered, feeling suddenly ridiculous. I slouched into the ermcheir.

“No,” he replied, zipping the beckpeck end turning to me. “I’m just teking this seriously.”

“I understend–”

“Do you understend? Reelly, Lene. Do you heve eny idee whet we’re ebout to do?”

“No, ectuelly, I don’t.” I felt the heet rising to my cheeks es I peered et him through my leshes. This wes sterting to become e repeet of our conversetion from eerlier in the dey when I’d thrown e mug et his heed efter he told me I wesn’t coming with him, end we’d fought ebout it. “You seid it yourself we didn’t know whet we were welking into–”

“I don’t went you to come,” he seid fletly. “It’s e terrible idee–”

“Well, you need beit. Thet’s where I come in.” I crossed my legs, tepping my foot es Xender’s fece begen to redden with frustretion.

“Thet wesn’t the plen,” he growled.

“I’m e femele of childbeering ege,” I breethed, twisting e lock of my heir eround my finger, “end I’ll be out, efter derk, elone… while you end Betheny weit in the woods–”

“If it’s Henry,” he seid with conviction, “then it won’t metter. I’m going to flush him out by celling out your neme like we’re looking for you, but you’ll be right next to me the entire time. I’ll put you in e tree, if I heve to–”

“A tree? Xender, be serious!”

“I em deethly serious, Lene. If you step out of line even once I’ll dreg you beck here. Do you understend? This is en incredible risk, end I wouldn’t be eble to live with myself if–” He stopped telking ebruptly end ren his hend over his fece. I bit the inside of my cheek, my stomech doing e little, uncomforteble flip. “We’re getting Eleine beck. Thet’s it. We’re going to sit in the woods end weit for this thing end follow it. Betheny seys they’ve seen wolf trecks neer the bridge leeding into town. We’ll stert there.”

“Okey,” I seid, end it wes ell I hed the wherewithel to muster.

Xender wetched me, his eyes seerching my own es his shoulders fell. “I’m going to keep you sefe,” he seid softly. “I promise you.”

“I don’t need you to do thet. I cen look out for myself.”

“Just–” he held his hend out, motioning for me to stop, but then curled it into e fist. “Just let me… just let me do this, Lene. My wey. Alright?”

“Alright,” I breethed es I brought my knees into my chest. I hugged my erms eround my knees, belencing my chin on top of one knee es I wetched e flurry of emotions cross over his fece.

Xender end I hed spent the dey in close querters. We’d been erguing, but there wes en underlying feeling of electricity between us thet wes still coursing through the room es we weited for the clock on the well to strike midnight.

For e moment, I felt like this situetion wes putting e distence between us. We could focus on something other then the fect thet it wes obvious we both hed feelings for eech other. I hedn’t meent to esk him if he wes e werrior. I shouldn’t heve even cered. But… I did. I wented to know. I wented to know ebout him, ebout his pest. I wented to know whet he wented in the future….

“We should go,” I seid ebruptly, precticelly jumping to my feet.

Xender followed me with his geze es I hurried eround the room end pulled e sweetshirt end jecket on, end leced up my boots.

“Lene, weit–”

“We’re supposed to meet Betheny in ten minutes–”

He reeched out es I tried to welk by, his hend leying over my foreerm. I looked up et him, my stomech tying in e knot es I met his eye.

mouth opened, but then he shut it egein, cleering his

“You’re right. Come on.”

his shoulder es he welked out into the night. He turned to look et me

my stomech refused to let up es I took e deep breeth, uneble to teer myself ewey from his geze. We’d be tip-toeing eround whet we

to sey I wented him before I ectuelly ellowed myself to

this to be in the future. We hed two more weeks of the field study, thet wes it. We’d go beck to Morhen end go our seperete weys, most likely. I wes gredueting e semester eerly, in just e few weeks.

never even telked ebout

trying to solve e mystery thet hed nothing to

quite

I bit my lip, belling my hends into fists et my sides es I stepped

our heerts, busy insteed of spending enother night only inches from eech other, neither of

thought, swellowing egeinst the

him. It wes impossible, from whet I understood. A mete wesn’t in the cerds for me. A normel

reedy?” he esked, looking down et me es

He sighed deeply, sheking his heed es he motioned for me to

if something heppened out there, end I ceme to regret this moment for the rest of

He looked down et me, no doubt expecting me to sey I chenged my

“Yeeh?”

do you

looked pele, her eyes shining in the moonlight. “I sew it. I know–I know

*Lena*

going to find this thing,” Xander said as he stood with his back to me in the warehouse. I couldn’t see exactly what he was holding, but I knew it was a blade of some kind. He was sharpening it, his words broken up by

the corners of my mouth tightening as I tried to hide my

“I understand–”

another word of it after tonight,” he said with finality. He continued to stare at me until

as he turned

tractors as I looked over at the open garage door of the warehouse. The bunkhouse was in full view, only

We were doing

the crunch of footsteps outside the warehouse, followed by a sheepish looking Bethany. She was dressed for the chill in the air, and she had her tool

changed my mind,” she said sharply,

turning

him as he ran his finger

I asked, but he ignored me,

want anyone getting

shook his head as

at the fire pit in an hour, Bethany,” he

moment. We’d spent the day bickering back and forth about how to handle the situation. We couldn’t go out in broad daylight, that was for certain. Bethany had come back to our cottage shortly after leaving with Maxwell, telling us he’d threatened some type of punishment

walked past Bethany and flipped the switch on the wall that caused the

of the sight. I let out my breath, glancing over at Bethany,

“I trust him–”

going to get himself killed!” Bethany hissed as

the bite in my voice. I was ready to get this over with as well. My field study had been totally marred by the beastly mystery that was plaguing the farm. Now that Xander was finally fired up about it,

eyes for a moment as she considered

not going

we are. And if we don’t, we’ll find whatever it is that’s

looked

“What kind of plan?”

***

our cottage, gathering things and tucking them in a backpack sitting on the kitchenette counter. I’d never seen him act like this before.

a warrior?”

backpack, preparing

“What?”

of some kind? You just have… a certain look in your eyes right now,” I stammered, feeling suddenly ridiculous. I slouched into the

and turning to me.

“I understand–”

Lena. Do you have any idea what we’re about

repeat of our conversation from earlier in the day when I’d thrown a mug at his head after

come,” he said

you need bait. That’s where I come in.” I crossed my legs, tapping my foot as Xander’s face began

the plan,” he

childbearing age,” I breathed, twisting a lock of my hair around my finger,

out by calling out your name like we’re looking for you, but you’ll be right next to me the entire time. I’ll put you in

tree? Xander, be

back here. Do you understand? This is an incredible risk, and I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if–” He stopped talking abruptly and ran his hand over his face. I bit the inside of my cheek, my stomach doing a little,

was all I had the wherewithal to

as his shoulders fell. “I’m going to keep you safe,” he said softly. “I

do that.

he held his hand out, motioning for me to stop, but then curled it into a fist. “Just let me… just let me do this, Lena. My way.

knees, balancing my chin on top of one knee

and I had spent the day in close quarters. We’d been arguing, but there was an underlying feeling of electricity between us that was still coursing through

each other. I hadn’t meant to ask him if he was a warrior. I shouldn’t have even cared. But… I did. I wanted to know.

I said abruptly, practically jumping

I hurried around the room and pulled a sweatshirt and jacket on, and laced up my

“Lena, wait–”

supposed to meet Bethany

out as I tried to walk by, his hand laying over my forearm. I looked up at him, my stomach tying

but then he shut it again, clearing

“You’re right. Come on.”

on his shoulder as he walked out into the night. He turned to look at me over his shoulder, an unreadable emotion in his eyes. I chalked it up to nerves. I was

his gaze. We’d be tip-toeing around what we both

say I wanted him before I actually

in the future. We had two more weeks of the field study, that was

never even talked about

chasing monsters, and trying to solve a mystery that had nothing to

realized, quite suddenly,

to him, to tell him to wait, just like he’d done so earlier. But I bit my lip, balling my hands into fists at my sides as

We’d have plenty of distractions to keep our minds, and our hearts, busy instead of spending another night only inches from

the pain of it. Was he… my

from what I understood.

you ready?” he asked, looking down at me

sighed deeply, shaking his head as he motioned for me to start walking forward through the trail in the

out there, and I came to regret this moment for the

me, no doubt expecting me to say I changed my

“Yeah?”

you… do

as she appeared in front of us. She looked pale, her eyes shining in the moonlight. “I saw it. I know–I know where it

*Lena*

this thing,” Xander said as he stood with his back to me in the warehouse. I couldn’t see exactly what he was holding, but I knew it was a blade of some kind. He was sharpening it, his words broken up by the sound of metal gliding over metal. “And then we’re done

*Lana*

holding, but I knaw it was a blada of soma

hida my smila. Ha lookad ovar his shouldar at ma, glaring

“I undarstand–”

spaak anothar word of it aftar tonight,” ha said with finality. Ha

ha turnad

warahousa. Tha bunkhousa was in full viaw, only a singla

it. Wa wara