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.”

It’s a lot… the pregnancy, you

yeah,” he said awkwardly, pursing his lips and tilting his head

you want me

shifted uncomfortably, then

as she chopped potatoes. She looked up from the butcher block, her eyes creasing as her mouth

added a liberal amount of fresh cream, which made my stomach tighten with anticipation. We had been eating nothing but dried food and grains for weeks, and no one aboard Damian’s cruiser

breakfast.

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

as handsome and patient as I imagined you, Troy dear,” Gretchen said sweetly as she flipped the pancakes. “It

coffee mug, smirking at Gretchen as she cast him a dirty look. She was a friendly older woman who exuded what I could only describe as “grandma energy,” and she looked the part as well, dressed in an apron decorated with embroidered tea pots and apples. She clicked her tongue at Rowan,

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

Rowan said, watching as Gretchen grabbed two plates from the dishrack. “Could we get

a little shy to the point of being uncomfortable. This was Rowan’s domain. Maeve’s childhood home. I was, to be blunt, an unwanted guest. Surely, Gretchen knew about the situation, having worked so closely with

she filled two thermoses with coffee, which she

helmet, Rowan. You know how your mother feels about

I know,” Rowan said over his

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

I followed him down

“I’m from the Isles,”

of the stairs, and the garage erupted

not larger, than the house itself. Four snowmobiles sat near the garage 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 what looked like a tractor, both covered in tarps. I

vehicle that old before.” | ran my tongue along the inside of my lower lip, wondering if Rowan would protest if

up here from the port, and it’s been sitting in the garage for fifteen years or so now.

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

back, a bathroom and what looked like a small office or storage room. I could see

I

and inhaled deeply, his cheeks turning a little

“Yeah, it is.”

never

voice, and I quickly realized why his cheeks had

only ever read

boats and planes.” The war had destroyed most of the technology to use them, so there

excitement. “I’m building more radio towers. I needed a way to test the frequency needed to connect the packs of Valoria and keep track of the

more than for him to

a little more as he balanced the helmet on his hip. “Maybe when we get back

and shaking his head. “I’m not supposed to like you,

couldn’t help but laugh. Rowan motioned me over to him and we spent the next fifteen minutes 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

don’t think I need to tell you how to ride

“You’re not planning on leading me away from the village and stranding me

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

***

were blanketed in snow so fine it didn’t make a sound as we parked the snowmobiles and stepped off of them. I looked out over the village, which seemed to be

stars shining above us were like something I 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

we couldn’t have just shifted,” I said as I set my helmet down on the snowmobile and lifted the thermos of

can. But nothing is worse than getting snowballs stuck between the pads of your

I

our snowmobiles to eat in relative

going to apologize for punching you,” Rowan said after a few minutes

apology,” I replied, closing up the empty container and putting it in