Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

 Chapter 17: Ernest’s Mate

Maeve

“Don’t say your name? Why?”

*Just in that context. I don’t… we can’t-”

“I know,” I said hurriedly, feeling foolish. It couldn’t be personal. That had to be what he meant. I fidgeted, looking past him toward the door. He followed my gaze, then snapped his head back around, giving me a serious look.

“Leave them alone, Maeve. I know what you’re thinking.”

“I just really need to talk to Ernest—”

“No, you don’t.”

“You don’t understand, Aaron. Gemma is in a bit of a crisis right now,”

“Because they’re mates? That doesn’t sound like a crisis to me.” He stood there, staring at me blankly as my jaw dropped open.

“How the hell did you know that?”

“Uh, he told me? Is it supposed to be a secret-”

I turned from him, pacing over to a set of couches that had been pushed up against the wall so that the maid could polish and wax the floor. I felt a little guilty as I looked down at the very obvious footprints left in the fresh wax, but the room was rarely used. It was my first time spending more than a few minutes here myself. “Well, if you know about it then it’s not a secret, is it?”

He shrugged, reaching up to crack open the window. “What do you need to talk to him about that’s so pressing you’d interrupt them?”

“I wasn’t going to interrupt them,” I lied, pursing my lips as he cast me an incredulous look. “I just wanted to talk to him privately.”

“About why he won’t marry and have children?”

Igaped at him again, my jaw nearly hitting the floor. “You know about that? You know why?”

“Yeah, he told me all about it.” Aaron’s tone was so casual that I laughed, unable to stop myself. He peered at me, tilting his head as I sat down on one of the dusty couches. “Do you seriously not know? How could you not know? Your whole reason for being here is to produce the heir he refuses,”

“Refuses? No, he can’t have children.”

“Oh, he’s perfectly capable of having children.”

“1-How?”

he made no move to hide it, either. He caught my gaze and I blushed, which was actually the reaction he had wanted. His mouth twitched into a smile as he stretched his arms above his head, groaning loudly as I waited for

“Aaron!”

pivoted on the arm rest and put both of his feet on the couch, facing me. “Ernest said he had a vision that his

whether or not Aaron was

same vision, and she was the driving force behind getting your dad to

felt myself flush, my skin prickling with a chill as his words settled. Aunt

at all. At least, that’s what my parents told me after Aaron’s own mother cursed me, after his accident. My mom’s powers were well known, but we descended from the Moon Goddess herself as White Queens. Aunt Georgia and my dad were

now, I promise. And I know how ridiculous it sounds. He said he thought it was just a dream until his mom said something about it. This all happened shortly before they left, I guess,

in my chest at his words. My Uncle Talon and Aunt Georgia had ruled over Drogomor in my father’s place. Dad wanted to be in Winter Forest with us, not thousands of miles away in Valoria. I didn’t know the details of the exchange of power, but I do know Ernest became Alpha at a ridiculously young age, sixteen or seventeen, when his parents decided to leave Valoria

well, Ernest believes it. I tried to talk him out of

true,” I

at best-” He paused, the muscles of his neck contracting in the dim light as he

own mother

have. It’s not real, just like Ernest’s vision was

the nurse in the infirmary to save some of my blood for

future? How do you know your blood doesn’t have healing powers, or whatever it

on mine. “She believed it. I could see it in her eyes.

exactly is this

floor. “That I won’t find

“Well, when’s your birthday?”

at

holding out

“Where are we going?”

Ernest he’s being

you said not to

changed my

suspicious beyond measure. Aaron was a master of deflection. He obviously didn’t want to talk about the day he got hurt in front of me, or his

we were surprised to see Ernest walking quickly down the corridor away from us, his back turned and his

are you

but he squeezed my hand, tucking it behind his back, and we all came

flustered. “I forgot the Alpha of Greenbriar was arriving for a conference today. I have to go down to the village to escort him

and inhale, but his face was calm and firmly

haven’t heard great things about

hiss, glancing up at him and noticing the abrupt change in his demeanor. He was looking forward, his gaze traveling well past Ernest and into a darkened corner of the corridor where it wound back toward

three of us. I swallowed, exhaling as Aaron removed his heel from my toes. It had been

But why?

fetch this guy, how does that sound?” Aaron said, still looking over the top of Ernest’s head at the figure lurking in the shadows. Did I

station to the road leading to the castle. Lance will meet them there. I’d definitely feel better if you