Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 83 : Common Ground

Troy

Well, I was still alive.

I hadn’t been sure what to expect when we finally reached Maeve’s homeland, but I thought Maeve would have been more at peace.

Instead, I watched her crumble at the edge of her parents’ bed, the moonstones in her hands, realizing the act of bringing them together hadn’t worked.

That had been the first time I met her mother, the famous White Queen Rosalie… my future mother-in-law, if Ethan didn’t kill me before a wedding could take place.

We had been in Winter Forest for a full day at that point, and my conversations with Ethan had been short and to the point. I had turned over Opaline to him. I had returned his daughter to her pack. I had given him a complete report on everything that had happened from the moment I first stepped foot in Valoria to the day our boat pulled into the inlet that hugged the shore of Winters Forest’s main village.

Outside of that, he didn’t even look in my direction.

I was only slightly embarrassed that I fell off the dock in front of him, but Rowan made me look slightly better than himself when he jumped in a second time to help me get the moonstone before it was carried away by the tide.

The icy, glacial water had been a baptism of some kind, something that cemented an unlikely friendship between Maeve‘s brother and

1. me.

So, I wasn’t entirely surprised when I woke up the next morning to Rowan in the doorway of Maeve’s bedroom, peering down at me.

“Why are you sleeping on the floor?” he asked in a whisper, arching his brow.

I ran my fingers through my hair and then over my face, rubbing my eyes. “More room down here,” I tilted my head toward the bed where Maeve was still sleeping like a rock with basically all of the pillows in the house tucked around her body. “What time is it?”

“A little after seven,” he replied, leaning against the doorway and crossing his arms over his chest. I looked out the window behind the bed, seeing nothing. It was pitch black. “The sun doesn’t come up until, like, eleven this time of year. You’ll get used to it.”

“Oh, yeah. I forgot.” I blinked a few times, my body and mind not yet acclimated to the strangeness of this place. The sun had set the day before at just after 3:00 p.m., and all my body wanted to do was sleep even though I wasn’t particularly tired.

“It’s hard on everyone for a while,” Rowan continued as I stood and folded up the blanket I had been sleeping on. I laid it over Maeve’s feet, which were peeking out of the thick quilt that she had tucked up around her ears. “How’s she doing?”

I could hear the guilt in his voice as his gaze shifted from me to the bed.

In truth, Maeve wasn’t well. She had cried until she fell asleep the night before, spilling her feelings about her homecoming to me while I held her, whispering reassurances against her neck. Maeve was a wreck, and I couldn’t blame her. It was mostly my fault.

1. me.

So, I wasn’t entirely surprised when I woke up the next morning to Rowan in the doorway of Maeve’s bedroom, peering down at me.

“Why are you sleeping on the floor?” he asked in a whisper, arching his brow.

I ran my fingers through my hair and then over my face, rubbing my eyes. “More room down here,” I tilted my head toward the bed where Maeve was still sleeping like a rock with basically all of the pillows in the house tucked around her body. “What time is it?”

“A little after seven,” he replied, leaning against the doorway and crossing his arms over his chest. I looked out the window behind the bed, seeing nothing. It was pitch black. “The sun doesn’t come up until, like, eleven this time of year. You’ll get used to it.”

“Oh, yeah. I forgot.” I blinked a few times, my body and mind not yet acclimated to the strangeness of this place. The sun had set the day before at just after 3:00 p.m., and all my body wanted to do was sleep even though I wasn’t particularly tired.

“It’s hard on everyone for a while,” Rowan continued as I stood and folded up the blanket I had been sleeping on. I laid it over Maeve’s feet, which were peeking out of the thick quilt that she had tucked up around her ears. “How’s she doing?”

I could hear the guilt in his voice as his gaze shifted from me to the bed.

In truth, Maeve wasn’t well. She had cried until she fell asleep the night before, spilling her feelings about her homecoming to me while I held her, whispering reassurances against her neck. Maeve was a wreck, and I couldn’t blame her. It was mostly my fault.

“She’s fine. Tired,” I answered shortly, pulling one of the thick knit sweaters Gretchen had laid out for me over my shoulders. Rowan watched me closely. His eyes were so much like Maeve’s, the same color and shape, in fact. But Rowan looked more like Rosalie in the face, at least in my opinion. He had his father’s jaw, though, which tightened and flexed whenever they held back their words.

“I was hoping she’d be awake, so I could… talk to her. Say hi, I guess.”

until noon most days. It’s a lot… the pregnancy,

he said awkwardly, pursing his lips and

me to

for you. I wanted to, uh, talk to you for a minute before Talon and Ernest get back from Mirage today.” Rowan shifted uncomfortably, then tilted his head toward the

the smell of breakfast sausage and coffee as she chopped potatoes. She looked up from the butcher block, her eyes creasing as her mouth stretched into a beaming smile. “Good morning!” she exclaimed, setting the knife down and turning

weeks, and no one aboard Damian’s cruiser could cook worth a damn. Yesterday, we‘d been too busy to eat a proper

breakfast.

the kitchen island, and I followed suit, sipping my coffee and watching as Gretchen began to pour pancake batter into

I imagined you, Troy dear,” Gretchen said sweetly as she flipped the

was a friendly older woman who exuded what I could only describe as

man. You and Maeve should’ve been twins, I always say. So alike. It’s no wonder your mates are such quiet, humble people. Is Hanna coming up to the house today? I want to send her home with some blueberry jam

two plates from the dishrack. “Could we get breakfast to go? Would that be

at all, darling.” Gretchen rummaged around in the cabinets for two plastic containers as we continued to drink our coffee. I felt a little shy to the point of being uncomfortable. This was Rowan’s

as she filled two thermoses with coffee, which she

planning on wearing your helmet, Rowan. You know how your mother

know,” Rowan said over his shoulder. “Thanks for

Winter Forest, but it had been very dark. I could only make out the

shrugging as I followed

“I’m from the Isles,”

similar.” He flipped on a light switch as we reached the bottom of the stairs, and the garage erupted into

door, primed and ready for use. An assortment of other outdoor equipment leaned against the walls, bikes and several sets of skis and snowboards. A large pickup truck sat idle in the far corner of the garage next to

I’ve never seen a vehicle that old before.” | ran my tongue along the inside of my lower lip, wondering if Rowan

the port, and it’s been sitting in the garage for fifteen years or so now. Mom says it takes up

I said, unable to hide my shock, “I don’t think that matters that much. This place

the far wall, pulling down an assortment of gloves and padded jackets. I walked around, glancing at the tool bench before

what looked like a small office or storage room. I could see an icon bouncing around on what looked

a computer?” I asked, turning to

was holding and inhaled deeply, his cheeks turning a

“Yeah, it is.”

never

I could hear the apprehension in his voice, and I quickly realized why his cheeks had colored. He was

read about them. I

planes.” The war had destroyed most of the technology to use them, so there was no reason for

stared blankly at me for a moment, his shoulders losing some of their tension as he picked up on my excitement. “I’m building more radio towers. I needed a way to test the frequency needed to connect the packs of Valoria and

be,” I said earnestly, wanting nothing more than for him to

helmet on his

paused, pursing his lips and shaking his head. “I’m

suiting up to take the snowmobiles out. It was arduous work, and I was sweating by the time we had packed the food and coffee into two backpacks

think I need to tell you how to ride one of

figure it out!” I replied, not sure if he could hear me. “You’re not planning on leading me away from the village and stranding me

back, laughing. “You’re not who I was expecting you to be, Troy. I think that

***

so fine it didn’t make a sound as we parked the snowmobiles and stepped off of them. I looked

had never seen before, so close I felt like I could touch them. A green band of light danced over the mountains on the other side of the inlet, like a ribbon, casting a strange glow over the far

see why we couldn’t have just shifted,” I said as I set my helmet down on the

can. But nothing is worse than getting snowballs

yeah. I

one of the food containers and we sat on our snowmobiles to eat in

going to apologize for punching you,” Rowan

empty container and putting it in my backpack. He did the same, but kept his