Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 48 : Why Isn’t Your Mate With You?

*Mila*

The night of the party, I got dressed up in a slip of a dress that hugged my curves tightly. It fell elegantly to my

ankles and had a slit up the leg to my thigh. It had spaghetti straps. The dress was a crimson red satin with a lighter

red chiffon covering.

It was the most dressed up I'd been in a long time. Even more beautiful than the time Soren took me to lunch in the

gardens.

I ran my hands up and down my sides, delighting in the cool feeling of the satin against my skin.

Soren, Payne, Ashley, and I headed to the edge of town where there was a run down looking hotel. It had no

exterior lights but I could hear cheerful party music from inside and some of the windows were lit up with warm

lighting.

“This is where the party is?' I asked, c*****g my head at the shabby building.

“It is much nicer on the inside," Ashley assured.

She was right!

Inside, the entire hotel was lavishly decorated. We walked along a corridor lined with light sconces that resembled

torches. At the end of the corridor, it opened up into a large ballroom. A giant glass chandelier hung from the

ceiling and there was a live band playing music.

So many people were already there, and there were some of the most beautiful ball gowns I'd ever seen.

The way some of the women were flirting with and dancing with the other males made my cheeks burn.

I looked down.

So, it was a brothel. That's why the woman who ran it was called Madam. No wonder Payne was giving Ashley such

strange looks when she brought Madam Scarlett up.

It took me no time at all to find Madam Scarlett in the crowd. She wore a black and red dress. The skirt was deep

red, floor length, and poofed out slightly at the waist. The bodice of the dress was black. It was backless with a

halter strap. The front was tight around her breasts and there was a large slit, revealing her abdomen and navel.

Her brown, curly hair was pinned up and a few curling tendrils hung down around her neck. She had sparkling

ribbons in her hair, diamond earrings, and a matching diamond necklace.

She was in her late thirties, but I saw that many men in the room looked at her with lust and desire. She was

absolutely beautiful.

Catching sight of us, Madam Scarlett waved and headed over. Her hips swayed when she walked, causing her skirt

to crinkle as she approached us.

“Soren, I wasn't expecting you," she said. She held her hand out to him.

Soren smiled and kissed the back of her hand. “I hadn't planned to be here."

He glanced at me.

“Oh, and who is this?" Madam Scarlett asked. She turned to me and took my hands in hers.

“I'm Mila," I introduced myself.

“Is she one of yours, Soren?" the Madam asked, looking me over quickly.

“One of mine? You make it sound like I run a brothel too," Soren grumbled.

Madam Scarlett chuckled. “Hardly. I never see you with a woman at all, let alone one as beautiful as this."

My cheeks warmed and I smiled shyly.

Madam Scarlett held my arms out to the sides and twisted me back and forth so she could get a better look at me.

“Absolutely stunning," she muttered.

“Thank you," I whispered.

“Why don't you come with me? I know Soren's group is a real boy's crowd. You need a girl's night," Madam Scarlett

insisted.

She looped her arm through mine and started pulling me through the crowd.

I glanced back at Soren. He just shrugged and smiled at me. I didn't have a choice but to follow along.

“You'll notice I have quite a few girls working for me," Scarlett said, motioning to the dancefloor.

“They aren't very shy, are they," I said.

Scarlett laughed, a sound like a bell. It drew a lot of attention from men around the room.

“No, they aren't. But they do look lovely, don't they?" she asked. We passed close by one and Scarlett touched the

girl's cheek.

She smiled and I saw the look in her eyes as she looked at Scarlett. She was completely devoted to the Madam.

All her girls were dressed in fine evening gowns, even finer than the dress she wore. She really did care about them

because a wardrobe like that was very expensive!

“Here you are my dear," Scarlett said. She snatched a cocktail off a tray as a waitress walked by and handed it to

me.

“Oh, thank you," I said. I took a sip and gasped. It was so sweet and delicious.

“Now, enjoy the party. You are an honored guest of mine tonight," Scarlett said, swiping her own cocktail.

“I am, why?" I asked, sipping my drink again.

“Because you managed to get Soren to come to my event. Anyone that can get him out of his own head is honored

in my opinion," she said. She winked at me and touched my cheek the same way she had one of her working girls.

I could see why so many people were completely enamored with her. She had a way of making anyone she looked

at and spoke to feel special.

I was almost sad as she walked away from me.

Shaking my head, I looked around to see if I could see anyone that I recognized.

For a moment, I wondered if Scarlett and Soren had had a romantic relationship. They seemed to know each other

pretty well and she seemed to care about him. Though, as prominent figures in the rogue zone, they probably had

to work together a lot.

Ashley was on the other side of the room with several of the brothel girls. I headed over to her since I couldn't see

anyone else that I knew.

Ashley's cheeks were rosy and she had a half-empty drink in her hand. I didn't think it was her first drink.

“Oh, ladies, you have to meet this special, special lady," Ashley gushed when she saw me approaching. She

grabbed my wrist, a little tightly, and half dragged me back to the group of girls. She nearly tripped on her own

feet.

“Ashley, slow down," I whispered to her. She'd been drinking quite a bit.

“Girls, this is Mila. Isn't she beautiful?" Ashley asked the other girls.

They giggled and suddenly they were all pawing at me. They looked over my dress, my hair, and my bracelet.

“So beautiful."

“This bracelet is truly exquisite."

“You really know how to wear this dress."

My cheeks were practically on fire as they praised me and touched me. I'd never had so much positive female

attention before and I had no idea how to handle it.

Ashley grabbed my hand suddenly and squeezed my fingers.

“You're so beautiful. It is no wonder… no wonder he likes you," she said, slurring slightly. She tried to give me a

serious look but she was too drunk to pull it off.

“Well, this is a great party. Thank you for inviting me," I said, trying to change the subject before Ashley said

something she'd regret later.

“No, no. I mean… He really likes you," she insisted.

I cleared my throat. This was the whole reason she was mad at me before and I really didn't want that anger to

resurface while she was drunk.

“I'm sure it just seems that way," I muttered, trying to refute her claims.

“But it is totally okay. I know that Soren doesn't have romantic feelings for me… but I wondered… I wondered what

kind of woman he'd like… Now I know," she said.

She hugged me tightly around the neck.

My eyes widened and I realized the other girls had all heard what Ashley was saying. I hugged her back awkwardly,

wishing the ground would swallow me up and end this torment.

At least, Ashley was being nice and supportive instead of mean.

“Ashley, how much have you had to drink?" Payne asked, coming over and pulling her away from me. He gave me

an apologetic look.

“Oh, not that much," Ashley said. She held her glass up and nearly sloshed the beverage over the sides of the glass.

Payne sighed and glanced at me again, with another apologetic look.

I shrugged and nodded to him, slowly backing away.

As I retreated, I caught bits of their conversation.

“Why are you such a buzzkill, brother?" Ashley whined as Payne wrestled her drink away.

“I'm looking out for you because that's what brothers do," he defended.

“But… I have to ask you. Isn't Mila pretty? Like, way prettier than me. I feel like I've seen her before," Ashley

slurred.

“She's very pretty," Payne muttered, going along with Ashley.

Their voices were distant but I could still hear them through the crowd.

“Who does she look like? Oh, I know. She looks like Lu-"

“Ashley, you're drunk. Give it a rest," Payne said.

His voice was so soft to me now that if Ashley replied, I couldn't hear it anymore.

I grabbed another drink off a nearby waitress's tray and stood at the edge of the dance floor, sipping slowly.

I got the feeling that Payne was trying to keep something from me. The last time he did that was when Soren had

gone off to get the Howlingred blossom. I knew now that those looks he gave me were because he wanted me to

know how displeased he was that Soren was risking his life to save mine.

“I am, why?" I asked, sipping my drink again.

“Because you managed to get Soren to come to my event. Anyone that can get him out of his own head is honored

in my opinion," she said. She winked at me and touched my cheek the same way she had one of her working girls.

But Payne was loyal to Soren and wouldn't speak out against him or do anything to diminish Soren's sacrifice, like by

telling me how much he blamed me for Soren's recklessness.

This was different. He kept showing up whenever Ashley and I were talking and getting in the way. It was like he

didn't want me to hear what Ashley had to say.

I grabbed another drink as soon as mine was empty and kept sipping as I thought things over.

He couldn't be trying to keep the truth about Ashley's feelings for Soren from me. I already knew that and she

wasn't exactly shy. I was sure Soren knew how she felt, too.

When I finished my third drink, I decided that I needed some fresh air. There were a lot of giggling, gushing women

in the room and I just wasn't used to that. Especially when they were all gushing over me.

At one end of the ballroom, there was a set of double doors that led to a balcony. Setting my empty glass aside, I

headed out onto the balcony. No one else was out there and I sighed in relief.

It was good to be alone.

The moon was so big and beautiful in the night sky. I stared up at it and all my thoughts and worries disappeared.

The light came down to me and I almost felt like I was floating away from my body and from all the troubles I had.

Ever since I stumbled into Soren's inn, my life felt like it was accelerated so quickly. I was constantly going from one

thing to the next and I'd already accomplished so much, with their help.

I'd had so many new experiences, not all of them good, and learned more about myself and my family than I'd ever

known before.

My life in Saboreef felt so far away now.

“Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know anyone else was out here," Soren's voice broke into my thoughts.

I glanced at him over my shoulder. Suddenly, the wind picked up and I shivered. I grabbed my arms and rubbed my

hands up and down them to warm myself.

Soren paused, half turned back to the door. He came toward me and pulled his jacket off. He draped it over my

shoulders and stood next to me at the balcony rail.

“Thank you," I whispered. I slipped my arms into the jacket. His warmth and scent still lingered, making me feel

much warmer and more comfortable.

“You looked like you were deep in thought," he commented.

“Oh, I was just getting some fresh air," I said, grinning.

“Me too," he said, smiling. “What were you thinking about?"

My smile faded slightly and I shrugged.

“I was thinking about the past few weeks and how so much has happened. More has happened to me in just a few

weeks than in the past ten years," I explained. Sighing, I leaned my elbows on the railing and looked up at the sky.

“Well, you should get used to it," Soren said with a chuckle.

I arched an eyebrow at him. “I should? Is your life always this intense?"

“I just mean that you're still young. You've got a lot of life ahead of you. I'm sure there is plenty more you have yet

to experience. So, relax. Enjoy the ride," he said, winking.

Smiling, I looked at my hands and the moonlight glinted off the bracelet Soren had given me. I held my wrist up and

spun the bracelet around.

I chewed my lower lip and opened my mouth to speak. Then I closed it and shook my head.

I saw Soren's smile out of the corner of my eye. “You have something on your mind. What is it?"

“If I ask, will you answer?" I questioned softly.

“That depends," Soren admitted with a shrug.

“Then, I suppose all I can do is try." My stomach fluttered nervously. “I'm wondering why your mate isn't with you."

Soren's brow creased and he pursed his lips. He seemed surprised by my question but not upset or angry.

I knew it was a pretty personal question to ask.

“I haven't found my mate," he said, frowning slightly.

It was my turn to be surprised. Soren was old not to have found his mate. Not that he was old, but he was old

enough. Most shifters found their mates pretty young.

Part of me was a little relieved to hear it. Maybe there was hope that he could have feelings for me.

Soren sighed and bowed his head slightly. He turned away from me and looked out at the endless sky. He seemed

distant, lost in thought.

“I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked," I whispered.

Soren turned to me, his gaze falling on me again, burning intensely.