Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 84: Fathers and Sons

Troy

Ernest threw his arms around me, embracing me in a rib cracking hug. I had been, of course, speechless when I saw Gemma on the night of our arrival in Winter Forest and at the news that they had not only both survived, but had a child in our absence. Seeing Ernest in the flesh was even better than the news, however. And I found myself rattling off about our adventure before remembering we had an audience.

Talon, Ernest’s father, and Ethan’s prior Beta, was watching Ernest and me closely.

Ethan was pacing back and forth in front of the ceiling-height windows in the library in the White Queen’s Castle, a space the family rarely used. Part of the castle was a school now, and another section had been converted into apartments for the single warriors of the pack.

Ethan’s office was too small to house all of us men, and there was absolutely no privacy in the house with the amount of family roaming about.

So, we closed ourselves into the library, the door locking in place, holding me captive.

“And Maeve, she’s due soon, then?” Ernest asked with nothing but pure joy in his eyes.

“A few weeks left to go, but the midwife that came with us to the south, Cleo, said she was likely to go early. Any day now, it seems.

Maeve is miserable!” | replied, unable to stop myself from smiling.

“Why? Is everything alright?” Ernest looked concerned, but I waved my hand in dismissal.

“Twins,”

“TWINS?” Rowan roared from the opposite end of the room, closing the book he’d been skimming through while we were waiting for Ethan to finish whatever he was doing.

Ernest looked shocked, but then laughed, clapping me on the shoulder. “No one can say you weren’t a successful breeder-” Ernest’s voice was, unfortunately, not a whisper.

Talon loudly cleared his throat, and the three of us younger men quieted immediately as we caught Ethan’s stone-cold gaze.

“Too soon?” Rowan murmured, which made Ernest flush a vivid pink.

“Are you serious about this, Ernest?” Ethan said, ignoring our remarks. He slammed his open hand on the long table we’d gathered around, his hand pressing a piece of paper against the waxed surface.

“L… I am,” Ernest said, swallowing hard and squaring his shoulders. “I am sure.”

“And you, Talon? This is not what I expected from either of you!”

I took a step away from Ernest, sensing the anger beginning to radiate off of Ethan. Rowan and I were now shoulder to shoulder, watching with interest as Talon nodded his head.

“I agree with Ernest’s decision. I think he’s making the right

choice.”

“Giving up his title?” Ethan bit out.

Rowan went totally rigid, his breath catching in his throat. I fought the urge to nudge him to encourage him to start breathing again, but that was hit with the same realization he had come to.

If Ernest was giving up his title of Alpha of Drogomor…

“Wait just a minute-” Rowan said as he stepped forward.

Ethan raised his hand, silencing Rowan, and turned his gaze back to Ernest.

“Why? You realize this will leave you without a title, a title your son would inherit?”

“That’s not important to me. I’ve discussed it in length with Gemma. We… Uncle Ethan, we don’t want to leave. We both felt it the second we finally made it here, that we were home. Gemma died in Mirage. She doesn’t want to go back. I don’t want her to go back.”

“She would be Luna-” Ethan said, cutting Ernest off.

“She doesn’t want that, Uncle Ethan. I don’t want that for her. We want George to… to grow up with parents who have time for him. We want him to have friends, and a community where he’s not ostracized for being a royal. We want what you built here with Rosalie. A home, not a castle.”

was gripping the back of one of the chairs that lined the table, his eyes focused intently on Ethan. “I became Alpha because that was the only life I knew. I never thought I’d find my mate or have children. Gemma changed that for me. Everything is different now. Besides, it

considering Ernest’s words but he did not respond. He glanced over at Rowan, who was standing like a statue next to me,

the table and sat down, calm and collected. Ernest nodded, glancing at Rowan, who was still

me go, Dad,”

doubted anyone but me heard

up the piece of paper, folding it and tucking it into

to Ethan, and I saw a flash

fathers and sons, but I knew there was an unspoken conflict between Ethan and Rowan, something that

a seat next to Talon, while Rowan and I

felt Ethan’s eyes on me, and slowly returned his

Talon blinked up at me, and Ernest bit the inside of his lip to

was motionless, expressionless. This was

was going to sit me down and rip

was cold, meaning to cut

chairs. I was sore from riding the snowmobile up and down the mountain, sore in places where I didn’t know it was possible. I worried if I sat down, I wouldn’t

leaning back in his chair. “Was he the one

“I wouldn’t know-”

do you mean you wouldn’t know?” Ethan looked me up and down, his

him since

peripheral vision, shifting in his seat as he looked over at Ethan with a furrowed

I have no memories of my mother. And my father, or the man I thought was my father anyway, well, he straight up left me in Avondale and didn’t come back. I grew up with a group of orphans. You’ve likely heard of Keaton, the captain of the Persephone? He was one of

me. Ernest and Rowan exchanged glances, then Ernest gave me a nod

last

I didn’t know what I was walking into. Damian must have known about your plans for Maeve. I was in Valoria for several weeks before I was

And—”

her, I

got her pregnant?” Ethan said bluntly, folding his hands

I did everything I could to protect her from Damian, and Horace, and Romero. I had to keep her in the dark

my gaze on Ethan’s eyes despite the nagging fear ripping through my body. It was some way to get to

laughter, then

couldn’t let them have her, Alpha.

over at Talon briefly, before asking me, “What do

I repeated, unsure what kind of

powers, in her

gave Ethan a stern look,

Maeve had told her parents about the fact that her blood was incapable of

some vendetta against us for what happened to your mother?” Ethan said with conviction, his voice an octave lower than it had

shaking my head in confusion.

sound was the ticking of a clock on the far side wall. Ethan’s face went through a transformation, his expression darkening as he considered my words. Then, he looked oddly… sad.

“Sit down, Troy.”

“I don’t need to-”

“Sit.”

I found myself seated in

motioned, and Talon left with Rowan and Ernest, leaving me alone with Maeve’s

His gaze was soft and full of

to her,” I said quickly, before I changed my

about her, Troy. Her heritage makes you who you are… which is an Alpha. It’s

discuss.”

wondered how long this was going to take. I’d left the house before Maeve had woken up, and now it was midday. I was sure she’d know that I was with her dad, but still. I didn’t like being this far away from her

family we had chosen in Finaldi, away from the Isles. I had wiped

what I had always been told, but I

throat, tapping one of his fingers on the table. “We had a treaty with Damian back then. The Isles, like the east, were in shambles. I gave Damian the money he needed to reconstruct Avondale, in exchange for Poldesse dissolving.

moved to Breles, though, so we never got confirmation you had actually been given over to the couple.

dare breathe. I didn’t know if I