Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 34: Heading Home

*Lena*

I watched as the ambassador and Xander spoke with a group of warriors who were congregated near

the bunkhouse on the estate. I hadn't wanted to come back here. I would've been fine staying behind in

the hotel and spending the rest of the day tucked in the heavy quilts.

But I wanted to keep tabs on George.

I was leaning against the truck, tossing an apple up and down, over and over. Bethany wasn't around,

not that I could tell. The bunkhouse was dark and empty, the front door wide open and swinging in the

stiff breeze that was also rustling my hair and sending a chill over my skin.

It was the last week of November. It should have been the last full week of our field study. Next week

we would have been sitting in the library on campus, sorting through our research and readying

ourselves to present our senior thesis.

Instead, I'd watched it all burn to the ground. Our research was now evidence. Everything we'd found

out about the flora of this Goddess-forsaken place would be packed up and sealed, sent away to the

Alpha in Breles while Maxwell awaited a formal trail for who knows what in front of the supreme court of

the West, overseen by the Alpha King of Findali himself.

My stomach tied into a knot as I thought through the weeks to come. It was unlikely I'd be called to

testify-not with my connections.

I closed my eyes as another gust of wind touched my cheeks, reddening my skin. Ice crystals were

drifting through the air, blanketing the ground and turning the grayish landscape an odd, glistening

silver color. It would have been beautiful, had it not been for the visions of blood and anguish that

stained this place.

I opened my eyes to Xander standing with his arms crossed, his body turned to George and his head

thrown back in laughter. What could he possibly have to laugh about?

I caught the apple and tucked it in the pocket of my jacket, glaring in his direction. My anger was

irrational, I realized, but I didn't really care. I was sore and riddled with mixed emotions from what we'd

been up to earlier in our hotel room. I felt overwhelmed and anxious about George's presence. I felt

embarrassed by how desperately I'd asked Xander to mark me knowing full well I was too young to

know for sure that he was my mate. My heart was breaking into many pieces by the fact he didn't do it.

I scoffed, digging the toe of my boot into the dirt to distract myself from the prickle of heat nipping at my

fingertips despite the cold. Greenery caught my eye as I glanced down at my boots, and I noticed little

bursts of green grass beginning to poke through the frost-covered dirt. I swallowed, clamping my mouth

shut and inhaling deeply through my nose until my lungs filled with air, and I held it, forcing my heart to

slow its rapid beating.

I walked forward, unsure of where exactly I meant to go. I glanced at Xander and George, but they had

their backs turned to me now, Xander pointing toward where the fire pit was settled against the

boundary wall and the forest.

I found myself climbing the steps to Henry's cottage, my hand outstretched and wrapping around the

ice-cold doorknob, giving it

a turn.

The door swung open with nothing more than a little shove.

Why I was there, I didn't know. Why I stepped inside the dank, empty cottage was a mystery. But I

closed the door behind me nonetheless, settling my weight against it as I looked around. It was the

same layout as the cottage Xander and I had lived in, with a single bedroom and a kitchenette. But

Henry's cottage was lived in, the walls littered with dried and pressed flowers and herbs protected by

glass frames.

A mug of tea sat on the kitchenette, and as I moved away from the door and walked toward it, I noticed

the fine dusting of mold creeping up the inside of the mug. I ran my finger over the counter, drawing a

line in the dust.

"Where are you?" I whispered, my voice breaking with emotion.

The wind rustled the window panes in the bedroom. I could see his bed, unmade, through the door,

which was ajar. I crossed the room and pushed it open, standing in the doorway and finding it almost

impossible to cross the threshold into his most private, personal space.

The warriors had to have been in there, probably more than once. Henry was missing, after all. But

there was no sign of a struggle, no bloodstains or knocked-over furniture. Everything was in its rightful

place, untouched.

I scanned the room, my eyes settling on a framed picture sitting on top of the tall, lean dresser in the

corner of the room. I walked toward it, narrowing my eyes as the dust-covered image came into view.

It was Henry, a much, much younger version of himself. He had his arm wrapped around the shoulder

of a strikingly beautiful woman with a thick head of dark, unruly curls. I picked the picture up, wiping the

dust away with my fingers as I looked down at the image, tears welling in my eyes.

She looked incredibly familiar, but I couldn't place her in any of my memories. The photo was in black

and white, and the fine details had faded with age. The woman's beauty was matched by Henry, who

had been exceedingly handsome in his younger age. He was fair, his hair obviously a light shade of

blond. He looked... happy, so incredibly happy.

I remembered being told he'd lost his mate. I remembered the hesitation in Bethany's voice when she

alluded to the fact his mate had met her end like the rest of the young women who'd disappeared in

Crimson Creek.

"What are you doing here, Lena?" Xander's voice rang out behind me as I set the picture down on the

dresser and turned to him.

"I don't know," I replied honestly, letting him take me by the hand and lead me out of the bedroom.

"They're going to find him," Xander said, but he didn't sound totally convinced.

I glanced up at him as he walked me out onto the porch, where we stood for a moment, watching

George continue to talk to the warriors.

"What time is our train back to campus?" I asked, letting out the breath I hadn't realized I was holding.

Xander sighed deeply, leaning on the railing and shaking his head.

"We're stuck here for another three days-"

"What?" I turned to him, trying to read the expression that flashed across his face for a split second.

"I don't know why, I just found out. We'll stay at the inn. It'll be fine."

"I want to leave-"

"George is heading back east," he said with a shrug, the corner of his mouth twitching as he tried not to

smile. "He's traveling by car, if you want a ride."

"I'll wait for the train." I whispered, tearing my eyes away from him and settling my gaze on the field of

grain, which was covered in frost and drifting lazily in the wind.

Xander chuckled softly to himself, but said nothing further about it. What were we supposed to do in

Crimson Creek for three whole days?

Xander straightened up and walked down the steps, looking over his shoulder at me as I remained on

the porch. "Come on, Lena. We're going back to the village."

"To do what?"

"Anything you want," he sighed, looking somewhat annoyed.

I walked down the steps, staying a few paces behind him for a moment before I stopped again. "What

are you not telling me?" I asked.

I'd wanted to drop it completely, but there was a voice in the back of my mind nagging me about the

fact I'd missed so much over the past week.

Xander watched me for a moment, his eyes searching mine. He looked conflicted, like something

heavy was weighing on him.

"I don't know anything for certain, Lena. I don't know if I believe anything that-" he took a step toward

me, his eyes narrowing as he took me by the chin, tilting my face towards the sky. "Your eyes-"

"Stop!" I pushed him away, which startled him.

Fury and confusion flashed behind his eyes as he took a step away from me, then another. My heart

quickened and my chest squeezed painfully as he squared his shoulders at me.

"You need to calm down, Lena-"

"Don't tell me to calm down!" I hissed, trying to keep my voice low, and level. I didn't want the warriors

to overhear our spat. "Tell me what you know! Tell me why we're stuck here for another three days,

Xander!"

"The train is not my fault-"

"Don't deflect-"

"Lena! For the love of the Goddess, will you just listen to me!" He stepped toward me, clenching his

fists as though he was gearing up for a fight. A familiar heat rushed into my fingers, my skin tingling as

an onslaught of emotions pushed forward, threatening to explode.

"You were the one who alerted the Alpha of Breles to what was happening here, weren't you? You're

the reason the Alpha King of Valoria sent an ambassador-"

"Of course, I did! What was I supposed to do, Lena? Ignore that fact a beast from hell was murdering

people and nearly ripped you in half!"

"You should have talked to me first!"

"When?" he sneered, closing the distance between us in a single step. "Should I have told you I was

going to the authorities while you were in a practical coma? Or should I have told you during the brief

moments you were awake, but didn't know who I was? When you were so fearful of me that Alma had

to hold you down while I left... left the room-" he looked down at his feet, heavy lines of pain etching

themselves across his face. He blinked, then straightened up, his eyes misted with emotion but blazing

with

anger.

"Xander, I didn't know-"

"Just get in the truck; we're leaving."

"Wait, I-"

"Hey!" George said as he started walking toward us, his voice carrying through the snow that was

beginning to fall in earnest.

I blinked a few times, my face flushing as I tried to swallow back the mingled guilt and anger pulsating

through my system as George came to a stop in front of us. I didn't even hear what he said to Xander,

something about needing to move on to his next stop, which was the now abandoned castle belonging

to the Alpha of Crimson Creek.

I was doing everything in my power to keep my expression neutral as Xander talked with George, but I

snapped back to reality when Xander lightly tapped me on the elbow, tilting his head toward the truck.

I swallowed hard, following him to the truck as George began to talk back to the warriors. But he turned

around, feeling over his jacket and then reading into one of the inside pockets.

"I almost forgot," he murmured, walking up to me and handing me an envelope.

I hesitated, looking up at him for a moment before accepting it with a tight nod. He arched his brow,

then shook his head.

Xander watched us skeptically as I turned from George, my cheeks growing pink. I walked to the truck

and got inside without saying a word, tucking the envelope in my pocket.

"What's that?" Xander asked, but I turned and looked out the window.

I knew exactly what it was, and at that moment I knew exactly what I'd be doing, and where I'd be going

after we reached campus

in three days' time.