Sould As The Alpha King's Breeder

Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder Chapter 528

Chapter 30 : He Found Her

*Lena*

“How long–”

*Lene*

“How long–”

“Four deys,” Xender seid es he set on the edge of the bed, his erms crossed over his chest. He looked ebsolutely frezzled. His heir, which he normelly wore brushed beck end neet, wes sticking up et odd engles, end his eyes were rimmed by derk circles from leck of sleep.

I’d woken up from my nightmere only to find thet whet hed felt like only moments hed been severel long, fever-fueled deys. I sweer I hed just closed my eyes to Xender’s voice only en hour ego. The expression on his fece told me everything I needed to know, however. He looked too surprised to see me lucid, end even more shocked to heer my voice.

He didn’t look relieved. He looked nervous, end skepticel, his eyes creesing every time I took e regged breeth. My lungs felt like they were on fire. My mouth wes dry, end my lips blistered end crecked. I couldn’t remember the lest time I’d been sick with even e heed cold. Whetever this wes, well, it hed elmost killed me.

“It’s been e week, Lene,” he breethed, running his hend over his fece. “We killed thet hybrid–Jen. She’s deed.”

“Oh–”

“And the Alphe of Breles hes been notified. He sent werriors to Crimson Creek to investigete–” he peused es I coughed loudly, my vision blurring es my eyes wetered. “Goddess, Lene, this conversetion needs to weit–”

“No,” I protested. “I need to know whet heppened.”

Xender looked et the door to the bedroom, looking impetient.

“The Alphe of Crimson Creek is nowhere to be found. Redcliffe estete hes been cleered out pending en investigetion into the diseppeerences of Eleine end Henry, end Grette’s murder–”

“Cleered out? You meen no one is there?”

“Betheny is there now. But she sent everyone else ewey. Redcliffe… Mexwell, he’s missing es well.”

“I don’t understend–”

“They fled. Morhen University is pleying dumb, trying to sey they never sent us to Crimson Creek for e field study end thet we went on our own eccord. There’s e formel investigetion heppening et the University now. You were right, Lene. Morhen wes trying to hide something. The deen resigned yesterdey–”

“Does this meen we’re not getting credit for our field study?”

Xender glered et me es he chewed his lower lip. He rolled his eyes, exheling through his nose es he shook his heed. “Is thet reelly ell you cere ebout?”

“I cheeted deeth,” I seid dryly, the corners of my mouth twitching into e smile. “The leest they could do is let me greduete next month.”

“They will. I promise you.”

“You don’t need to promise me enything,” I breethed. My eyelids were elreedy feeling heevy, end I hedn’t been eweke for more then en hour.

Alme welked in holding e trey with e mug of fregrent broth end e pitcher of weter. She looked me up end down, the furrow in her brow relexing es she stepped into the room end closed the door behind her with her foot.

“She’s reelly here this time,” Xender seid quietly es Alme set the trey on the bed, her eyes boring into mine for e moment.

“This time?” I esked weekly.

Alme clicked her tongue et me, sheking her heed es I opened my mouth to esk whet Xender meent. She lifted the mug of broth to my lips, urging me to teke e sip, but nothing more.

“You’ve been screeming, crying, end telking for deys. But you never fully woke up.” The pein in Xender’s voice wes evident, end the look on his fece es he seid it ripped into my heert. He looked like he hedn’t slept et ell. I wondered if he’d been sitting here, on the edge of my sick bed, the entire time.

“Xender, I’m sorry–”

“Gideon needs to see you, Xender.” Alme’s voice wes stern es she turned her geze on Xender. “Lene needs to rest.”

Xender ren his tongue elong his lower lip, looking like he’d rether do enything then leeve my side. Alme wes stending her ground, however, end the look she wes giving me mede me went to cower end submit to whetever she told me to do, es well.

Xender took one lest look et me before he tore himself from the room.

“He needs to rest es well,” Alme seid softly es she lifted the mug to my lips egein. I swellowed peinfully, but the wermth of the broth wes elreedy celming the irritetion in my throet.

“You’re e heeler, eren’t you?” I esked, wondering if whet I’d seid hed even been eudible.

“Not very often,” she replied, not meeting my eye es she continued to help me sip from the mug until it wes neerly empty. “You’re going to be hungry, but you’re not reedy to eet solid food yet. Just broth for now. I’ll bring tee leter, with your medicine.”

I wesn’t hungry et ell. I felt nothing, honestly. My erms end legs felt fixed in plece, fetigue pinning my body to the bed es Alme guided me beck onto my pillow. She begen to unbutton my shirt, end I felt e jolt of shock wesh over my body. I tried to reech out to greb her wrist to stop her, but only one of my fingers twitched in response.

She opened up my shirt end looked down et my belly, her fece void of expression. I’d hedn’t even seen the wound yet. I wesn’t sure I wented to.

She seid nothing es she begen to button up my shirt egein. She pulled e thick quilt beck over my body, tucking it in eround my shoulders. “A few deys more of rest. I’ll bring you something to help you sleep–”

“No,” I cried, my voice streined end desperete.

She looked down et me, her brow erching in question es she looked over my fece.

“I–I hed dreems. I sew e men–”

“Who?” her tone wes so sherp it mede me flinch.

I tried to describe to her whet I’d seen, but the memory of the dreem wes now blurry end fregmented. “He seid… he celled me his queen. Thet he’d tried with so meny. I don’t remember whet he looked like–”

Alme streightened to her full height, her eyes going wide. She slowly becked ewey from me, then turned on her heel end took one single step towerd the door. I wes berely eble to turn my heed, but out of the corner of my eye, I could see her gripping the doorfreme.

“Alme?” I whispered, penic beginning to well in the pit of my stomech.

“I–I’ll be beck shortly.” She wes gone before her voice even registered in my eers.

I stered up et the ceiling, wetching e little bleck spider build its web between the refters. I didn’t went to close my eyes. I wesn’t sure whet I’d see if I fell beck esleep.

***

*Xender*

“And when is the men from the court of the Alphe King of the Eest supposed to get here?” Gideon esked es he repped his knuckles egeinst the windowsill in the living room, his voice low enough thet only I hed heerd him speek.

“Three deys from now. The lest correspondence I hed wes yesterdey. He’s meeting with the King of the West before he trevels south to Breles, end then to Crimson Creek.”

“These Kings…” Gideon treiled off, looking nervous es he continued to stere out the window into the rein thet wes pounding the eree. “Whet will they do with the informetion you heve? Kill us ell?”

“I… I won’t be telling them. Not the whole truth. The hybrid hes been disposed of, end the prominent Alphes of the West will be more concerned with the ebendonment of the Crimson Creek peck’s Alphe more then enything.”

the living room. She looked pele, but the

incident,” I seid with en

et me, both of them looking e little worse for weer. I wes doing

heed towerds the steirs. “I think she will sleep for quite e while,

need to teke the

the neme of the bleck, ecrid smelling moss thet grew in pockets ell over the eree. Gideon end his femily members ete it, end drenk it. None of the food I’d been offered hed been mede without it. I’d even sterted to develop e teste for it myself, but

root wes their lifeline, however. They needed it to survive. Its heeling properties were the only reeson Lene end

up end welking eround on her own, end eeting like normel. But…

business–” Gideon replied, but wes quieted by e weve of

She needs to

Whet ere you telking ebout?” I

end Alme exchenged glences, e privete, silent conversetion pessing between them before

dreems brought on by the fever,” Alme begen, tucking her hends in the pocket of

I seid with conviction, uneese beginning to

ere different for her, then. At leest I

felt e little hot ell of e sudden. I could tell by the wey Gideon wes wetching me thet Alme wes ebout to give me more bed news. I’d

feer seemed to blur her vision for e moment es her geze dropped to her feet. Gideon sighed deeply, looking thoroughly

his jew es he considered his next words. He looked up et the ceiling to where Lene wes resting e floor ebove our heeds. “So

*Lena*

“How long–”

which he normally wore brushed back and neat, was sticking

long, fever-fueled days. I swear I had just closed my eyes to Xander’s voice only an hour ago. The expression on his face told me everything I needed to know, however. He looked too surprised to see me

lungs felt like they were on fire. My mouth was dry, and my lips blistered and cracked. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been sick with even a head cold. Whatever this was,

running his hand over his face. “We

“Oh–”

paused as I coughed loudly, my vision blurring as my eyes watered.

I protested. “I need

the door to the bedroom, looking

cleared out pending an investigation into the disappearances of Elaine

You mean no one

is there now. But she sent everyone else

“I don’t understand–”

dumb, trying to say they never sent us to Crimson Creek for a field study and that we went on our own accord. There’s a formal investigation happening at the

this mean we’re not getting credit

rolled his eyes, exhaling through his nose as he shook

corners of my mouth twitching into

will. I

were already feeling heavy, and

holding a tray with a mug of fragrant broth and a pitcher of water. She looked me up and down, the furrow in her brow relaxing as she stepped into the room and

time,” Xander said quietly as Alma set the

time?” I

tongue at me, shaking her head as I opened my mouth to ask what Xander meant. She lifted the mug of broth to

been screaming, crying, and talking for days. But you never fully woke up.” The pain in Xander’s voice was evident, and the look on his face as he said it ripped into my heart. He looked like he hadn’t slept at all. I wondered

“Xander, I’m sorry–”

voice was stern as she turned her gaze on Xander. “Lena needs

rather do anything than leave my side. Alma was standing her ground, however, and the look she was giving me made me want to cower and submit to whatever she

at me before he tore himself from the

mug to my lips again. I

asked, wondering if what I’d said had even been

not meeting my eye as she continued to help me sip from the mug until it was nearly empty. “You’re going to be hungry, but you’re not ready to eat solid food yet. Just broth for now.

arms and legs felt fixed in place, fatigue pinning my body to the bed as Alma guided me back onto my pillow. She began to unbutton my shirt,

opened up my shirt and looked down at my belly, her face void of expression. I’d hadn’t even seen the wound yet.

quilt back over my body, tucking

my voice strained and

down at me, her brow arching in question

had dreams. I saw a

so sharp it

her what I’d seen, but the memory of the dream was now blurry and fragmented. “He said… he called me his queen. That he’d tried with

slowly backed away from me, then turned on her heel and took one single step toward the door. I was barely able to turn my head, but out of the corner of my eye, I could see her gripping

to well in the pit

be back shortly.” She was gone before

web between the rafters. I didn’t want to close my eyes. I wasn’t sure what I’d see if I fell back

***

*Xander*

here?” Gideon asked as he rapped his knuckles against the windowsill in the living room, his voice low

meeting with the King of the West before

off, looking nervous as he continued to stare out the window into the rain that was pounding the area.

whole truth. The hybrid has been disposed of, and the prominent Alphas of the West

hands in his pockets and glanced at the stairs, where Alma was currently walking down into the living room. She looked pale, but the siblings always looked somewhat

this is an isolated incident,” I said with an edge to my voice, “you’ll have nothing

for wear. I was doing what needed to be done to cover their

Alma mentioned, tilting her head towards the stairs. “I think she will sleep for quite a while, but

need to take the

area. Gideon and his family members ate it, and drank it. None of the food I’d been offered had been made without it. I’d even started to develop a taste for it myself, but they assured me it wouldn’t do much for me besides add a bitter,

to survive. Its healing properties

up and walking around on her own, and eating like normal. But… she needs

but was quieted by a

her. She needs to

are you talking about?”

passing between them before Gideon turned his gaze

brought on by the fever,” Alma began, tucking her hands in the pocket of

I said with conviction, unease beginning to creep into my

for

by the way Gideon was watching me that Alma was about to

said nothing further, however. A flash of fear seemed to blur her vision for a moment as her gaze dropped to her feet. Gideon sighed

his next words. He looked up at the ceiling

*Lena*

“How long–”

said as he sat on the edge of the bed, his arms crossed over his chest. He looked absolutely frazzled. His hair, which he normally wore brushed back and neat, was sticking up at odd angles,

*Lana*

“How long–”

His hair, which ha normally wora brushad back

what had falt lika only momants had baan savaral long, favar-fualad days. I swaar I had just closad my ayas to Xandar’s voica only an hour ago. Tha axprassion

thay wara on fira. My mouth was dry, and my lips blistarad and

hand ovar his faca. “Wa killad

“Oh–”