Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 23: Train Ride to Nowhere

Troy

I was in deep.

Totally and completely in over my head.

And as I watched Horace approach, his gnarled figure limping through the garden as though he were simply out on a stroll, I tensed, my shoulders tight and rigid as I straightened up to my full height and leaned the rake I was holding against one of the freshly pruned bushes.

The garden had become our meeting place after Maeve had caught me on the outskirts of the castle grounds on my first day in residence. Horace and I had been leaving notes to each other beneath a pile of fallen stones in the dilapidated shed since I arrived in Valoria several weeks ago as prepared to masquerade as Aaron, the breeder. Aaron, the one I knew she was falling in love with.

She didn’t know me. She couldn’t know me. And when she cried out his name while I moved within her, I could have screamed and beat my fists in agony. Oh, I was in trouble. Meeting my mate was not part of the plan.

Neither was trying to save her life.

I was here to trick her, to stall until Damian’s warriors arrived to take over the castle. That was the original plan, at least. No one had said a thing about killing her. Romero wanted me to actually bed her and get her pregnant, potentially holding her hostage until the child was born and Romero could do away with her, or worse, keep her alive to harness her powers.

But I wasn’t Romero’s pawn. I hadn’t even known he existed until the Persephone made port in Avondale, the capital of the Isles, six months ago when Alpha Damian demanded my presence and vaguely explained the mission.

I never considered myself part of Poldesse. We smugględ and pirated for them, sure, but I had grown up running wild with the other orphaned “beach rats” until Keaton had stolen enough coins and gems to have the rotten body of the Persephone towed from its shallow grave on a beach on the island of Suntra and fully renovate her.

Then we sailed the high seas. That was my home. My pack. That was where my loyalties lie.

But then I found out I had a living grandfather, and everything changed.

I would have done anything to know him, to look upon his face and maybe, just maybe, see a hint of the mother I couldn’t remember.

But Romero was a monster. A sick, deranged old man. And as I stood in the garden waiting for Horace to make his way toward me, I realized how much of a monster I was being to Maeve myself.

I had to get out of it. I had to get her out of it.

“So, it’s done? You’ve-”

“Slept with her?” I hissed, keeping my voice low lest the gardeners were listening. I always spent my mornings in the garden, not having much else to do. The physical labor was good for me.

“Yes. Were you successful?”

smile as he watched me, my obvious disdain for him seemingly adding years to his life. He was always lurking

Maeve, I had somewhere to

across the lawn toward the pile of gardening equipment and pushed past Horace, who looked after me in

“Where are you going?”

Ernest not tell you? He’s sending me on an errand. I’ll be back

took a step toward me, his arm outstretched as though the skeleton

looking up at Romero’s tower for a moment before flashing Horace a beaming, although

back here,

the trees, cursing under my breath that I hadn’t had time to change out of the dirt-smeared jeans and T-shirt I was wearing. I picked grass clippings from my hair as I walked, tripping over a few roots on my way down. Maeve was supposed to meet

***

23: Train Ride to

mean you’re leaving?” Maeve took the glass of sparkling water from her lips, her blonde brows knitted in

I’ll

her drink, her full, pink lips lingering on the glass

since that night in the library a week ago. I had been trying to avoid her as much as I could. I always tried to avoid her. But she kept pulling me back in. I could’ve

him,” I said, gripping my pint of beer for

sipped from her glass again, then made a face, putting it back down on the café

“What’s the matter?”

to the port and not one of

the street where the market

know. I didn’t

face somewhat clouded with emotion this

you upset?” I

“What happens now, Aaron?”

my cheek the way I always did when she mentioned Aaron’s name. I knew this conversation was coming. I had fulfilled my duties as a

on a ship headed for Finaldi in a week’s time. What’s the plan? I thought helplessly. looking over at her and trying to steel my expression. Damian’s men would be here in two weeks to

could get word to the Persephone

her eyes. “But I promise you’re

and opened her mouth to speak as I quickly drained the last of my beer, wiping my mouth on the back of my hand. I stood and rounded the table, squeezing her shoulder as I bent down, whispering, “We can talk about this later. I

My fingers ached as my touch left her skin, and I walked off the curb. I tucked them in the pockets of

knew Keaton wouldn’t be a part of Damian’s invasion, he had made that very clear. But, I needed to catch her first and

I would be bringing Maeve with

glancing over my shoulder every once and a while to be sure Maeve hadn’t

Persephone was supposed to dock today, and I had at least a six-hour journey to the port by train. I could have shifted, of course, but I didn’t know my way around the center of Mirage. The railway to the port was new, constructed in the last ten years