Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 7 : Another Beautiful Man

♦Xander*

I'm not sure what I saw looking in our window. Every single hair on my arms was standing on end as I stood on the porch, squinting into the pitch-black night. A soft breeze was rustling the grain in the distance. It was overcast. The entire area was bathed in nothing but blackness.

I'd seen eyes. I knew that much. And they had been looking past me, trying to catch a glimpse of Lena.

I leaned on the railing, gripping it so tightly the muscles of my arms flexed with tension. I looked down the pathway toward the bunkhouse, narrowing my eyes at the single light that was on inside.

Had some creep snuck out of the bunkhouse and peered into our window, not expecting me to be awake?

I hardly ever slept. Not deeply, at least. I'd spent the last four hours listening to Lena's labored breathing as she suffocated herself in her sleeping bag. I'd finally reached over and unzipped it, just enough for the skin of her neck to be exposed to the cool air in the room.

And when I'd turned back around, I'd seen it. Two eyes looking right at US through the window. Had they been glowing? Or was it only the fact I'd been on the edge of sleep that made them look that way?

I looked back over the open field once more, glaring into the night.

"She's mine," I whispered, hoping whatever or whoever it was that was lingering nearby was close enough to hear me.

I locked the door on my way in and opened every cabinet, looking for something to cover the window with. I found a hammer, but no nails or tacks. That didn't matter to me. I searched around the room and settled on the wobbly side table next to the armchair and broke one of the legs off of it, pulling out two nails and closing them in my fist.

"What the hell are you doing?" Lena was standing in the doorway of the bedroom, now dressed in an oversized tee shirt. Her legs and feet were bare, which sent a thrill through me as I rose to my full height.

"I told you, you were going to get too hot."

She ignored me, crossing her hands over her chest and stepping out of my way as I sidestepped around her to get back into the bedroom.

“Why did you break that table?"

"I needed nails."

"For what? Why were you outside?"

"It’s the middle of the night, Lena. Stop asking me so many questions," I murmured, holding the nails between my teeth as I measured the width of the window with my hands. I looked around the room, settling my gaze on the pillow I'd been using only minutes before. "Hand me that pillowcase."

"Why?"

"We need a curtain. Just do it."

She gave me a skeptical look, but to my surprise she followed my directions, sliding the pillowcase off the thin, useless pillow and handing it to me. I held it against the wall and drove one of the nails through it, and then again on the other side of the window, so the pillowcase covered the window entirely.

"Why couldn't you have just asked for curtains in the morning?"

awake yet," I replied, gripping the hammer as I turned to face her. I glanced down at it, deciding it would be best to sleep with it, or at

“Fine," she whispered.

her sleeping bag before I sat on the edge of my bed myself, sliding the hammer under the bed

to turn to look down at her, noticing the apprehension in her

"Why? Are you scared?"

mess with

smiled at her, reaching over to pat her shoulder. She flinched away from me, glaring before she turned to face the

sighing deeply with my hands resting on my chest. I couldn't find the nerve to close them, not after what I'd seen. I’d be

long, slow breaths, and still feel well tomorrow. I could nap, perhaps,

sleep, and the last thing I envisioned were Lena's

like this place. I didn't like the feeling it gave me,

liked it

***

♦Lena*

other people working at Radcliffe farm over breakfast in the bunkhouse, which was

and sitting area with several bookshelves stocked with books from nearly every genre available. I found that comforting as I sat in the dining room, picking at my plate

of the table, eyeing everyone suspiciously. He looked rather menacing as I peered at him over the rim of my coffee mug. I raised

I didn' t know him that well, so maybe this wasn't weird for him. Maybe he always

her soft brown hair pulled back into a tight ponytail as she began to gather the dishes. I rose,

down and turning toward the door, where

dealing with?" she said, holding the door open for me as I stepped out onto the

the fields of grain, most of which had gone to seed. We were heading

as we crested a shallow hill, their perky green leaves rustling in the gentle breeze. But I saw something

those dark patches on the other side of the fence?" I asked as we walked down the hill. Bethany glanced over at me, a look of

"We don't know."

it a plant?' I asked. I couldn't tell by how far we were from the spots that dappled the

about it than I can," she answered, shrugging her shoulders.

coming through the speaker. She motioned me forward, pointing to the old man who was crouched in the herb garden, his

and began to walk back up the hill. I looked to the left, seeing the manor in the distance, but

look at, honestly," Henry said, his back still turned to me. I stopped walking, standing ten or so yards away from him. "The house, I mean. It's falling to pieces like the rest of ’em." Henry rose, wiping his hands off on

his eyes. I bit the inside of my cheek as I tucked a lock of hair behind my

Lena,” I said, giving him my

forward, gingerly stepping between the herbs as I made my way closer to Henry. He had a basket next to him filled with several bushels of sage and a few large

officially, when I graduate in

glanced up at me, grunting in response.

having issues with

I opened my mouth to respond, but he stood, handing me his basket and pointing to the valerian roots. "They’re supposed to look like that,” he said, then opened his palm, showing me the valerian

down into his hand, seeing the spindly roots blackened and withered. I looked up at

soil," he breathed, shaking his