Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 88: Is That Invitation Still Open?

With Raymond out of the way and my name restored, I left the pack courtyard and the trial and ran

straight to the packhouse to check on Warren.

“Ciana, you’ re okay,” he said with a relieved sigh. “Slow down. Thank you again for coming back for

me.’

“No, Warren, I should be thanking you. You helped me so much. I’m sorry that you went through all of

that. I don’t know what I can do to repay you,” I blurted out, squeezing his hand.

“Silly girl! We’ re friends, right? That’s what we do. You have no idea how worried I was about you.

When you fainted and they took you away…” Warren ‘s face wrinkled at the bad memory. “Thank the

Goddess you are unharmed.”

He opened his arms like he was going to hug me.

Someone cleared their throat behind us and I saw Theo, or Tallis as he was still pretending to be,

standing against the nearest packhouse wall. He was glaring at Warren.

Theo?” Warren asked.

“I’m not Theo!” he hissed moodily. “My name is Tallis.”

“Oh…” Warren stared at him for a moment, and murmured to himself, “Sorry, you remind me of my

brother. I mean, you look different, but just…’

I jumped in, “Warren, believe me, I was confused at first too. But this is Tallis. He’s Nelson’s brother.

Nelson is the car-

nival director,” I said, covering for Theo. I figured he probably had a good reason to keep his identity a

secret, even from his own brother.

“Hmm. Well, you are dressed like you work with Nelson,” Warren said with a chuckle. He turned back to

me, looking at me with deep, emotional eyes.

“Yes, he does, doesn’t he? I don’t think Prince Theo would ever wear colors like that,” I said, giggling

and giving Theo a challenging look.

Theo snorted and looked away from me.

“I heard my name,” Nelson arrived with a concerned look on his face. “Geez, Tallis, there you are! I’ve

been looking everywhere for you. They told me you’re at the packhouse. The carnival is packed up. Are

you ready to go or what?”

“I’m ready,” Theo said stiffly.

“Great. Well, say your goodbyes and let’s get going. We’re all waiting on you,” Nelson said. He clapped

his hands to hurry Theo along.

I bit my tongue to keep from laughing, seeing the dark, dangerous look in Theo’s eyes. If Nelson wasn’t

careful, he’d end up dealing with the Dark Prince.

Theo glanced at me and crossed his arms. He gave a final nod and left after Nelson. It was already

getting late and if he hung around too long, it would seem suspicious. Especially if he kept hanging

around me.

“Warren, how are you feeling?” I asked, turning back to Warren.

He still looked a little pale and dirty. I hoped after a nice shower and some fresh clothes, he’d look and

feel better,

Warren sniffled and rubbed his head.

“Honestly, I’ve got a bit of a headache. I’m not sure if I’m getting sick or I just need good food,” he

admitted.

Warren and I headed back to my parents’ house. As we went, he started sniffling more and rubbing his

temples. He was definitely sick.

I got him set up in one of the guest bedrooms. “You probably just need a good night’s sleep and some

hot food. I’ll make sure to get you a good dinner. I’m just going to run out for a few minutes. Try to rest,”

I urged.

“Thank you,” Warren murmured, his eyes already closed.

If Warren was sick, I figured that Theo would want to know and maybe would send Warren back to the

palace. I hurried after Theo to where the carnival had been set up.

When I got there, the tent was gone. All the tents were gone with nothing left except a few pieces of

trash. Sighing, I kicked at an old can. I wondered where they were going next and how long it would be

before I’d see Theo again.

Warren was still asleep when I got back to the house. I

made him some soup and set it on the night table, along with a mug of tea and water. It would be there

when he woke up. A strong shifter like him would only need a few days to recover.

Things in my pack had started to settle down. I was happy to see everything reverting back to normal,

more or less.

8B. That Sol’

After making breakfast for Warren one morning, I headed off to Susan’s gravestone in the pack

cemetery. Her death had been avenged, but I still missed her and felt bad about what happened. She’d

been killed because of me.

I put my hand on her grave marker and sighed.

“I miss you. I’ll never be able to express how sorry I am that you were killed because of me. Raymond

is gone, though, and I think he suffered. Be at peace, dear friend,” I whispered softly.

“Hey, there you are,” Warren said, coming up beside me.

I pulled my hand from the grave and looked at him. “I just wanted to give her an update about what’s

going on.”

“Things are going well, then?” Warren asked.

“They are. Thanks again. You look quite energetic. Feeling 100% now?” I asked, addressing the more

important question.

Warren grinned and rubbed his belly. All the color had returned to his cheeks and he was looking

stronger.

“I’m feeling great. That breakfast you made me this morning was fantastic. Who needs medicine with

you as a cook?” he grinned.

I chuckled and shook my head. No one had ever praised my cooking before. I couldn’t tell if he was just

being nice or if he méant it.

“Frederic and Murray seem to have stepped up to help or ganize the pack,” Warren added, getting

back to his original topic.

Äapter 88. ISThai InvitatiM Still

We walked side by side through the pack territory. It was a nice day with warm morning sun shining

down on us and a soft breeze through the grass.

“They’ve helped a lot. With Raymond dead and Hawke ex iled, no one is left to cause problems. I keep

going to their meetings, but every time they have it all under control. I hardly have anything to do.”

“That’s really good news, Ciana. I’m glad your pack is do ing better. It makes me feel better about

asking,” he said, smiling lightly.

“Asking what?”

My stomach flipped a little. What could Warren want to ask me?

I intended to go visit my sister’s pack from here. I’d still like to do that now that Raymond isn’t a threat. I

wanted to know if you’d visit her pack with me,” he said, giving me a bashful smile. His cheeks tinged

pink

“Oh, that’s right. Am I keeping you from visiting your sister?” I asked guiltily.

“Not at all,” Warren said, touching my arm. “I’m glad I took time to recover from being held prisoner. So,

do you want to I bit my lower lip in thought. Warren’s sister married to the alpha of Vaner pack. I’d been

there once many years ago with my parents, and) r membered liking the territory and thinking it was

beautiful. “So what do you say?” Warren nudged me. It had been a long time since I traveled, now that

every thing seemed to have settled in the pack, it would be a pleas ant change from what I was dealing

with, but… I glanced at Warren and saw that hopeful, bright look in his eyes. Clearly, he still held some

affection for me. If I went with him, he might think I had feelings for him, too. I didn’t want to give

Warren the wrong message. It probably wasn’t a great idea to spend too much time alone with him.

The pack was still dealing with a lot. I was the only member of the Alpha family in pack territory at the

moment. My pack was still vulnerable and I didn’t want to leave and allow someone else to come in

and do the same thing Raymond had. “That sounds like a really fun trip, but Warren, I should really

stay here until my parents get back. Alvar needs strong leadership right now,” I said. Warren’s eyes fell

and I could see he was disappointed. He took my hand and squeezed it. ‘l understand,” he said,

nodding and smiling warmly. Warren went back to my parents’ house to pack and I headed to the

courtyard to see if Frederic or Murray needed me for anything. I was impressed with how well they

were handling things, but I still wanted to be involved so I could tell my parents everything.

“…carnival is gone… so sad,” I heard some girls whispering together. 88′ That Open? At the mention of

the carnival, my ears perked up.

. that Tallis… so handsome. I would have bedded that..

“… you’re so bad. They didn’t go far…”

“Oh. They are only… Vaner.

“Isn’t that Alpha Demarco and Princess Maggie’s pack…?”

Theo went to Maggie’s pack? Wasn’t that where Warren was going too? I started to reconsider joining

Warren on his travels.

No, my pack came first!

“Ciana!” Murray called me. He ran across the courtyard, waving to me.

“I was just on my way to find you,” I said, smiling at him.

“Ciana, Mr. Thomas has just returned. He’ s heading to your parents’ house right now,” Murray told me.

“Thomas?” I asked, my heart leaping into my throat. Thomas was one of my father’s best friends. I’d

called him Uncle Thomas when I was younger.

“l just got word and came to find you… ” Murray yelled behind me, “Slow down, young lady,

manners….”

I hurried back to the house, hardly pausing to consider how rude I’d been to Murray. He was a pack

elder and even as an Alpha’ s daughter I needed to show him respect, but I couldn’t wait a second

longer!

I hadn’t seen Uncle Thomas in so long, though. He might know where my parents were, too!

Thomas was standing at the porch when I got to the house. I ran right up to him and threw my arms

around his neck.

“Ciana, is that you?” Thomas asked, hugging me back. He was just as strong and powerful as my

father, and he always had a smile on his face.

I always thought he would make a good Alpha, but instead, he stood by my father as his friend. I

remember when he used to be Dad’s Beta too, but that changed when I was young. He told my dad

that he enjoyed traveling too, and Dad allowed him to be relieved from his Beta role, which would

require him to stay with the pack most of the time.

That was why Raymond ended up being the Beta instead.

“I’ve missed you,” I said, squeezing him tightly.

Thomas chuckled and lifted me up in a big bearhug. He set me down and pulled me to the wicker

couch on the porch. We sat down together and quickly filled him in on what had been happening in the

pack.

By the end, Thomas’s brow was deeply creased and he looked troubled.

“I’m sorry you had to find a way to resolve that on your own,” he said, cupping my cheek in a fatherly

way.

“Do you know when my parents will be back?” I asked hopefully.

Thomas sighed and shook his head. “I wasn’t traveling with them this time. However, I am back to fill

your father’s shoes. Since Beta Raymond is gone, it is my place to be Beta until your parents return.’

“So, you’re going to be here for a while?” I asked, brightening.

‘Yes. Ciana. After what you told me, I will stay and make sure the pack is restored in accordance with

your father’ s wishes. I will hold things together until he gets back,” he explained.

I sighed with relief. Elder Murray and Frederic were doing a great job but they weren’t Thomas. They

weren’t my parents.

Now that Thomas was back, I had nothing to worry about, and that meant I could take a little break,

right?

I went into the house and found Warren in the guest room, packing.

“So, is that invitation to travel to your sister’s pack still open?” I asked coyly.