Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 121: Who’s That Man?

Rowan

Mom ran her fingers across Selene’s head, admiring her fine white hair. She looked every ounce the doting grandmother instead of a ball of uncertainty, like Maeve. Maeve was pacing back and forth near the fall wall of my bedroom, her arms folded across her chest and her head bent as she tried to organize her shock.

Everyone else had cleared out to give us some privacy. Just Mom, Hanna, Maeve, the baby, and I remained, and Mom had just finished feeding the baby a bottle. Hanna awoke, but she was still groggy from sleeping so much.

“She’s beautiful, Hanna,” Mom said softly, smiling down at the baby in her arms. “What’s the meaning of her name?”

“I-I don’t know. She told me her name, in a dream.”

“We could think of a nickname for her,” I added, chewing on the side of my cheek as I narrowed my eyes on Maeve. Her pacing was heightening my anxiety.

Hanna had described the birth, which had been about as easy and peaceful as it could possibly be. But the midwife had been frantic, and fearful, as a lunar eclipse sent a shadow over the castle and then bathed all of Mirage in an eerie red glow just as Selene was born.

Hanna looked up, meeting Mom’s eyes, and whispered, “She was conceived on a full moon, Rosalie. And then… and then

born on a lunar eclipse. You know… you have to know what this means.”

Mom nodded, resting her hand on Hanna’s leg.

“Your daughter is the Moon Goddess?” Maeve’s words weren’t said like a question. We all already knew the answer.

“Whatever she is,” Mom said, smiling down at the baby with nothing but love behind her eyes, “she is a White Queen. The twenty-first White Queen. And my granddaughter. And that’s enough, for now.”

Hanna took a deep breath and then smiled softly to herself. I

could feel the tension leaving her body, and she closed her eyes. But then, she started to cry.

Maeve was at her side in an instant, taking Hanna’s hands in her own. “Oh, Hanna. It’s going to be okay. We don’t know what this means, for her, for youll for any of us.”

“I’m scared of her, Maeve.” Hanna’s words cut so deeply into my heart I found it hard to breathe. I knew she had been

struggling. I knew she was hurting.

But I hadn’t known that.

“She’s just a baby!” Maeve laughed, reaching out to take Selene from Mom. “Look, see? She looks like you, Hanna. Just lighter. She has your eye shape, and your chin. I think she has Rowan’s nose, though, and that crazy cowlick is definitely from our side of the family-”

went on and on, her enthusiasm breaking up the heavy

Maybe she’ll want to be a baker and make cookies for a living. That prophecy… it’s over. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that she’s here, and she’s safe. And she

head. “She’s the best, Hanna. The only girl in the family so far. Troy and I are done, as you know. Gemma and Ernest might have another.

now, she’ll be bossing the boys around and making Rowan and Dad play tea parties with her,” Maeve smiled. Hanna smiled too, her

The words felt heavy in my mouth. It was an oath.

it be alright if he came in?”

should take her down to see everyone. I’ll-i’ll take a shower and change first. I’ve been in bed for… well, since she was born. I didn’t know what else to do.

out of Hanna’s arms as Mom helped her out of the bed. Maeve turned,

over my shoulder, watching as Hanna and Rosalie disappeared

going to

You

door open for Maeve

her visions from

nodded, my throat

was wrong, Rowan. Even Hanna said so. How could she possibly still believe she’s going to die

hasn’t said anything to me about it for months. She’s not dream dancing anymore. She refuses to shift. She’s just…

should

It’s fine. You’re the Luna of

said, resting her hand on my arm. “Just tell me what you need me to do, and I’ll

then the two of us headed downstairs to see what everyone else had

kitchen-two prime rib roasts, a honeyed ham, and three roast ducks were the centerpieces of

Ernest’s lap,

being passed around the table in an effort to keep them entertained. Hanna sat at

had built a house there. Vicky had come from Breles with her now seventeen-year-old daughter

everyone took their leave after the family defeated Tasia and put an end to the nearly year-long quest to find, and understand, the

feeding tidbits of cake

daughter at the other end of the table. Hanna was running her fingers through Selene’s fine hair,

***

Maeve––7 Years Later

now, they kiss-” Selene tilted her doll toward Oliver, who seemed reluctant to allow his cherished action figure, who harbored the likeness of a hero from a very popular children’s novel, to continue to

took

face. I smirked, flipping the page of the book I was pretending to read as I

Hanna arrived only a day ago for a long

a few minutes of bickering, they went back to building their sandcastle in relative peace. I looked down the beach in the opposite direction, watching as Will and George dragged a long piece of seaweed out of the water. Troy and