Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 8 : Blood Root

*Lena*

I spent a good part of the day working in silence next to Henry as we crouched in the rows of medicinal

herbs. He would hand me things on occasion, wordlessly, for me to inspect. By midday, I had a basket

full of oddly shaped valerian roots and several bushes of hummingbird sage that were withered and

drooping, obviously diseased.

But none of it made sense. Their soil was rich, and the positioning of the garden and the amount of sun

the area received were perfect growing conditions for the herbs. I wondered at first whether the chill of

the night was causing the damage, but Henry waved this away, shaking his head as he rose and

peered into the distance, over the crumbling, ancient stone wall that wrapped around the entire estate.

"Are those lightning strikes?” I asked, standing next to him as I pointed.

He grunted in response. He was a man of few words, a lot like my own grandfather. "No.’

"Then... what is it? Those black spots all over-"

"It’s plants.'

"Plants? What-"

"You'll find them everywhere now. They started in the southern tip of Finaldi and migrated north over

the years. About three years ago, we started seeing them in Crimson Creek. We call it blood root."

"Blood root?"

He nodded but then turned away from me, continuing to forage. I balanced my basket on my hip as I

watched him. He was ignoring me. He likely knew I wanted to know more about the mystery beyond

the wall.

"I don’t need your assistance any longer today,” he said, keeping his back to me. I narrowed my eyes at

him, then turned back to the path leading back to the barn and bunkhouse.

I stopped at the little shed in the corner of the herb garden and stored the tote of supplies Xander had

brought down for me earlier in the day. It had been a kind gesture on his part, but it had been marred

by his behavior toward Maxwell Radcliffe.

I sighed, glancing at Henry over my shoulder before stepping through the herb garden's gate. Bethany

said Henry had been working for the Radcliffe family for at least three decades. He knew everything

about this place.

And I was willing to bet he wasn't telling me about the strange black plants called blood root on

purpose.

**★

The rain started as I walked back toward the bunkhouse. I wasn't dressed for the rain, but to be honest,

the weather here was very strange given the time of year. It was late autumn, and the air was warm

during the day, but the nights were frigid and uncomfortable. Morhan was north of Crimson Creek... and

it wasn't nearly as cold there.

I was heading to the warehouse with my samples to give to Xander so he could run his tests. I shielded

my face with my hand as I walked past the barn, where the sound of giggling cut through the rain.

I paused, turning my head toward the barn where the giggling continued, interrupted by a man’s voice...

Xander's voice.

I shifted the weight of my basket and crept toward the bam, peering inside the door, which was slightly

ajar. I could just see the outline of someone leaning against one of the horse stalls.

The rain was beginning to pelt the top of my head, cold and slightly painful. I stepped inside the barn,

blinking as my eyes adjusted to the dim light.

Xander was whispering into the ear of the brown-haired woman who had been collecting dishes at

breakfast, giving her a seductive smile as she giggled like a schoolgirl.

But then they saw me. and Xander immediately leaned away from her. straightening to his full height as

he pushed off the stall.

"What are you doing here9’ he asked harshly.

The woman blushed, glancing at me before turning on her heel and walking past me out of the barn.

"I could ask you the same thing,” I said, tilting my head in the direction the woman had retreated.

“You're supposed to be working.”

"I was." He grabbed a shovel that was leaning next to him and turned, taking a step into the stall.

"What are you doing?"

"Working-"

"Mucking the stall? That’s not what you're supposed to-'

"You spent hours in the herb garden collecting samples, Lena. I didn't have anything to run my tests on,

yet,” he said from the stall. I couldn't see him, but I could hear the annoyance in his voice.

"Are you doing that woman's job?" I asked, taking a step forward.

He didn't answer for a moment, then I heard him let out his breath. He turned to me, his eyes seeming

to glow in the darkness of the stall. "Her name is Jen, and yeah, I am."

"It seemed like you two were doing a lot more than chores-"

Xander came out of the stall, his eyes blazing with annoyance. He set the shovel down as he took

several steps in my direction, narrowing his eyes at me.

"What’s it to you?” he asked, leaning down so close to my face our noses were nearly touching, ”Are

you jealous?"

"I’m not jealous,' I sneered, attempting to push him away.

He stood his ground, however, his eyes flashing with a silent challenge.

"How would you have felt if you'd seen me kissing her?" he asked, his voice an octave lower than

usual.

I didn't like the way his words made me feel. "Well, were you kissing her?” I whispered, unsure of why

the words even left my mouth.

He gave me a sly smile, leaning even closer and closing the distance between US. His mouth hovered

over mine for a split second.

But he didn't kiss me. He straightened up, a smug look on his face as he chuckled to himself, shaking

his head.

"You think you know what you want, Lena. You really have no idea."

"What the hell do you mean by that?' I sneered, stifling the heated blush that was rippling over my

cheeks and neck.

"You wanted me to kiss you, just then. I could feel it. You're disappointed that I didn't-"

"Shut up, Xander," I huffed, pushing past him to walk back out into the rain.

He said nothing further as I gathered my basket in my arms and drudged into the bleak downpour, not

even bothering to shield myself from the rain as it washed over my face and cooled my burning skin.

I set the basket in the warehouse, noticing Xander's workstation in the corner. He'd covered it in a

sheet of plastic to keep the area free of dust and other particles while it wasn't in use, which was smart.

I still thought he was a jerk; he was a bossy, oppressive playboy, but at least he knew what he was

doing in terms of our field study.

"Hey,” Bethany said as I set the basket down, bobbing her head at me as she pulled herself out from

underneath one of the tractors, her body splayed on a creeper seat. She sat up, wiping her brow which

left a smudge of blackened grease behind.

"Hey,” I said shortly, opening the cabinet where Xander was keeping our field study file.

"What's the matter with you?” Bethany laughed. "Henry wear you down? He's good at what he does,

but man, he's the grumpiest old man I've ever met."

"You've never met my grandfather, then," I murmured, opening the file and staring down at it, running

my finger along the index.

"Anything I can help you with? This rain put a damper on the outside tasks,” Bethany stood and wiped

her grimy hands on a rag, dropping a few tools into a large toolbox sitting next to the truck.

"Maybe find me a new place to sleep," I breathed, glancing up from the file to meet her gaze. She

smirked, shaking her head.

"Don't want to share a room with your partner, huh?"

"I really don't," I tried to smile, but it was impossible. Xander was starting to make me feel... something.

Whatever it was, was foreign, and I didn't like it. I wasn't a jealous person by nature, but finding him in

the barn with that Jen girl made me feel... awful. There was no other way to describe it.

"I bet I could get Jen to move to the cottage and give you her bunk," Bethany said as she closed up her

toolbox. "She's been talking about Xander since he got here over the weekend. A little obsessed if-”

"No, it's alright. I’ll manage,” I said quickly, swallowing against the sudden panic tightening my throat.

Bethany gave me a side-eyed look, then shrugged, lifting the toolbox as though it weighed nothing and

setting it on a shelf.

"Suit yourself. Hey, listen, we're having a bonfire tonight, down by the edge of the property. There's a

break in the wall where you can look out over the hills and it's supposed to be clear. One of the

seasonal workers is big into astrology. She'll tell you your fortune based on the stars, if you're

interested. She reads palms, too."

I gave Bethany an identical look of skepticism, and she laughed.

"We’ll have beer and wine, I promise.”

"I guess." I smiled, but then the thought of seeing Xander and Jen together again sent an ache through

my heart. What the hell was wrong with me?

"Want to go hang out in the bunkhouse? Or do you have some more work to do?” Bethany was pulling

on a rain jacket, tilting her head toward the door of the warehouse.

"I could use a cup of tea,' I agreed, following her out into the rain. I tucked the file under my sweater,

shielding it from the downpour as we walked down the sodden pathway to the bunkhouse, where I was

delighted to see a plume of smoke rising out of the chimney.

It was warm inside the bunkhouse with its ancient hearth crackling with several split logs burning high.

Bethany took me into the kitchen, which was incredibly modern compared to the rest of the narrow,

stone building. She put a kettle on to boil and pulled down a huge basket of assorted tea, as well as a

jar of honey and fresh milk.

"So. tell me about what Henry talked to you about today," she said as she poured hot water into our

mugs.

I shrugged, stirring in a spoonful of honey and dropping my tea bag into my mug. "He didn’t say much

at all just gave me judgmental looks. He did mention... blood root.'

"Did he tell you anything about it?"

"No, not at all. What is it, exactly?”

"We don't really know. It was tested a few years ago, by a Morhan student, actually.

But, no one ever got back to the Alpha of Crimson Creek about the results-'

"Who tested it?" I said hurriedly, setting my mug down on the counter. Bethany peered at me for a

moment, then shrugged, sipping her tea.

"Some girl, Charlie? I think-”

"Carly Maddox?" I whispered, more to myself than anything.

"Sure, maybe. I hadn't come here to work yet. Wouldn’t you already know what it is since Morhan

would have the results?'

I shook my head, glancing at the file I had set on the counter. There was no mention of blood root in the

file about Radcliffe farm at all, nor about the plant in Crimson Creek.

In fact, there was no mention of another group of students ever having been in the area. Abigail had

heard about Carly Maddox through rumors that circulated around campus when she failed to return

from her field study three years ago, but there was no official report, or even a brief mention, of her

name in the file I'd been given.

Something wasn't adding up here.