Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 49: The Sacred

Maeve

Troy and I walked through the building, surprised by the amount of noise coming from the corridors as we headed down the many, many stairs to the lower-level courtyard.

The buildings are where everyone lives, stacked on top of each other,” Troy said, smiling as a little girl ran past us, chasing after what must have been her older sister.

*This place is ancient, Troy. How old do you think this place is?”

Troy exhaled, looking around as we walked towards the courtyard, reaching up to run his hand along the wall.

“A thousand years, maybe more?”

“More?” I sucked in my breath, unable to process it.

“Well, how many White Queens have there been over time? Count back and that’s likely as old as this place, and even Winter Forest, should

be.”

“Mom said Winter Forest wasn’t the original settlement of the White Queens. There’s a ruin on an island across from the inlet. That’s where the pack used to live, but everyone believes it was taken over by the water hundreds of years ago.”

“See? This is very, very old stuff.”

I nodded, swallowing against the anxiety tightening my chest and throat. This was an old place. A strange place. And I had the oddest “out of body feeling as we walked the halls. We finally turned the corner and passed through the archway leading to the courtyard, stopping short of the entrance as Duck came bounding towards us, followed by Myla and Pete.

“Where’s Robbie?” Troy asked, furrowing his brow.

“He’s out chasin’ tail,Myla said with a laugh. Pete blushed deeply, lowering his gaze to his feet.

“Still?” Troy snorted, shaking his head.

“So, you saw him? And he was alright?” I asked hurriedly. Myla nodded her head, wiggling her eyebrows at me and Troy.

“Oh, he’s more than alright, I’ll say that much. He told me all about it,” Myla said.

“Why?” Troy asked, looking from Myla to Pete, who was looking more and more uncomfortable with the conversation.

“Why not?” Myla said with a soft chuckle, “What else were we supposed to do while we were waiting for you guys to come down? What were you up to, anyway?”

Troy cleared his throat, and I stifled a blush. Myla arched her brow, puffing out her cheeks as she tried not to laugh.

annoyed, “Please, can we talk about

a little

And I had the opportunity to, you know, do what

you take it?” Troy laughed, crossing his arms over his

here is saving himself for his mate.”

I think that’s very gallant of you, Pete.” I said, smiling at Pete, who gave me a

archway, her eyes wide with nerves as she spoke. She was young, very young, likely no more than ten or eleven years old. She turned on her heel, and the

the narrow bridges rising up over the river. People were swimming in the slowly moving, shallow water. It looked like a refreshing activity in this unforgiving heat. I made

entered a narrow gravel pathway leading downhill into another shallow valley through a thicket of trees. Stepping out of the trees, we stopped, all of us looking out over a massive, turquoise colored lake

setting sun.

towers at the city’s entrance. Music was wafting up from the lake, and voices lifted

that were strung through the trees. It was beautiful, and quite romantic, and

Troy looked down at me, squeezing my hand. “What’s wrong?” he

I’m just losing my mind,” I murmured, feeling a little hot. What

Myla exclaimed, looking

Troy called out, “Have you been able to mind-link

tried but I couldn’t get through. Do you

close to mine as we walked, “Something is weird about

think these people

he said firmly, but his eyes were still hyper focused on the

dock, and sprays of flowers I couldn’t name were in full

pillows had been laid out around a huge, circular table that was low to the ground, and Una was sitting there, waiting for us, flanked by nine unfamiliar

sitting on the cushions. The older man must have been Ismir, Una’s husband. The

table, as did the young girl, who elbowed her brother before taking a seat

wide, and a look of sheer

head close to mine as

gush over Una’s brood. “Myla will have ten children, I’d

low and filled with yearning. I hadn’t expected it. I looked at him, seeing the confusion flash behind his eyes, his tanned face blushing

it about this place that is making us act, and think, the way

into his eyes, my heart quickening as he knitted

his eyes creasing with what I can only

were lost, hanging on

I thought, unable to say

food I had ever tasted were brought out over the course of three hours. Hot, spiced tea was poured in a constant stream despite the warmth of the

eyes met Una’s, who was watching me closely, a look of mingled hope, and maybe even

late, his face pink, and his eyes unable to hide the fact that he was having the

color, however, a shade of gray that reminded me of the color of the inlet back home. Gray like glacier silt, the clay left behind as the glaciers moved across the land over the millennia. Neither of her parents had the same color eyes as she did, nor did any of her