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.

can we talk about

little

the opportunity to, you know, do what

Troy laughed, crossing his arms over

is saving himself for his mate.” Myla

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

came a voice from behind us. We turned around, finding a young girl standing still as a rod in the 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 group

her through the market and across one of 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 a mental note to do the

entered a narrow gravel pathway leading downhill into another shallow valley through a thicket of trees. Stepping out of the trees, we stopped,

setting sun.

was wafting up from the lake, and voices lifted in gaiety and laughter rang out as we walked along

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

blushed deeply, clearing my throat. Troy looked down at me, squeezing my

feeling a little hot. What was wrong with

were here to see this!” Myla exclaimed, looking up at the sea of paper lanterns above

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

lips, shaking her head, “No, I tried but I couldn’t get through.

head, sighing deeply. He bent his head close to mine as we walked, “Something is weird about this

think these people

1,” he said firmly, but his eyes were

and sprays of flowers I couldn’t name were in

pillows had been laid out around a huge, circular table that was

of the two men sitting on the cushions. The older man must have been

elbowed her brother before taking a seat next to him. “This is my family,” Una said, beaming

eyes wide, and a look of sheer longing on

Troy whispered, leaning his head close to mine as we sat

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

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 deeply the same way mine had when I imagined ravaging him in public. He hadn’t meant to

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

eyes, my heart quickening as he knitted his fingers in mine underneath the

eyes creasing with what I can only describe as pure, unadulterated

to say something, but the words were lost, hanging on the tip of my tongue, just out of

you, I thought,

of the most delicious food I had ever tasted were brought out over the course of three hours. Hot, spiced tea was poured in a

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

face pink, and his eyes unable to hide the fact that he was having the best day of

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