Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 12: A Trip to the Village

♦Lena*

It'd been three days since the attack, or murder, whatever it was being called. The Alpha of Crimson Creek had sent warriors to investigate. They'd taken away the body, swept the perimeter of the Radcliffe Estate... but that was it. No one said much about it, in fact, after a full day had passed. The only person who had given US any useful information had been Henry.

But Henry was a man of few words, and he didn't speculate. He'd told me what I already knew from Abigail-that Carly Maddox had been a Morhan student whose field study was situated in the village of Crimson Creek. According to a single witness, she had just walked out one day, leaving the shabby townhouse she shared with four other students and walked into the night, never to be seen again.

But the fact that she was, in fact, never seen again, was what was most interesting about what Henry had to say. He told Xander and me that several young women had been killed over the past five years, but they had always been found not far from where the attack happened.

"So we're dealing with a serial killer," I said, pacing in front of the makeshift lab Xander had erected in the warehouse. He was bent at the waist, peering into a microscope as he examined a slide with the sample of blackened, rotted valerian root I had harvested earlier in the morning.

"We’re not dealing with anything, Lena,' he protested gruffly, furrowing his brow in my direction as he straightened to his full height. "We're here for school. That’s it-"

"But don't you want to know, Xander? Something weird is happening here!"

"It's none of our business-"

"One of the workers was attacked and killed!"

"Lena," he breathed, taking his gloves off and tossing them in a wastebasket. "Leave it alone."

I rolled my eyes and stalked away from him, glancing over my shoulder before I left the warehouse. He was writing on a clipboard, totally uninteresting in discussing what I believed to be a huge deal.

But I knew it was bothering him. I'd gotten my original wish. We were no longer sharing a bed because he'd taken to sitting in the armchair, facing the door, with an iron skillet in his lap every night in the event he needed to protect US from whatever was lurking outside.

We hadn't said a word about what had happened between US, either, for which I was grateful.

I'd been overwhelmed and blinded by a heavy haze of lust, ready to lose my virginity to a man I neither knew well nor liked very much, only to be snapped back to reality by someone getting torn to shreds not even a mile from our cottage.

I felt awful about it. But also completely unsatisfied.

I swallowed against the lump in my throat as I walked to the bunkhouse. It was nearing lunch, and Bethany had asked me to sit with her and eat something before we went back out to tend the lower gardens. I was thankful for a respite from my conflicting feelings as I stepped through the door and removed my boots.

But I wasn't getting away from it that easily, I quickly realized. Elaine and Bethany were sitting at the dining room table when I arrived and had a plate laid out for me-and questions.

"How long have you known him?" Elaine asked as I bit into an apple.

I shrugged, chewing slowly in hopes the conversation would move past the subject of Xander. He was the only thing anyone wanted to talk about after what had happened.

"Like, a week, honestly," I said cooly, sipping my glass of root beer. Elaine rolled her eyes at Bethany, who fixed me with a knowing stare.

"Jen is in love with him," Elaine said, leaning back in her chair. 'She wants nothing more than to jump his bones after watching him take command of the, uhm, situation the other night."

about that until we hear something concrete from the Alpha, after his investigation. Radcliffe's orders." Bethany looked exhausted. She'd likely been fielding questions about what had happened for the past several

hand in dismissal. "Anyway, Jen is really hoping he's coming to the party tonight, at the pub. I told her not to

incredibly territorial over Xander, even though I had no reason to feel that way. What had happened

really a party," Bethany shrugged, shaking her head, “unless you like warm beer and old men with missing

going," Elaine quipped, nudging my arm. "You

though inside I was on fire with

was still a chance I'd be wrong. And despite the fact that I knew in my soul nothing further should happen between Xander and me, I hated the idea of him being with

to me. She'd just been in Xander's line of sight, and I

up in front of the cottage in a run-down car later that evening, its mint-colored paint covered in large splotches of rust, I decided it was time to confide in someone. I needed someone to help me unravel my intense feelings. Otherwise, they'd

walked up. 'You have to

the back door with an audible crunch

as you," she giggled as I struggled to climb over the center console. I grunted with effort, nearly upside down as I tried to get my legs out from under me. I wiped my brow and adjusted my weight in my seat, reaching back for the seatbelt, which I

crash. Don't worry. At least not today.

before the clutch gave way, and she was

so they couldn't use me for my car. They're all piled in the

the back window of the car

and I looked at each other, both

severely disappointed," Elaine teased, fumbling with the clutch once

huffed, stretching his arms out over

the steering wheel as we bounced over the uneven dirt road toward

I asked, looking over my

for a moment, which was honestly the first time we'd made true eye contact since the night of the murder. He handed me my purse without breaking his gaze, which was slightly unnerving, but I stifled the ripple of heat his stare

mirror on the vizor. You'll have to wing it," Elaine laughed as we

Creek came into view, rising in the distance against a vivid sunset. I quickly put on the lipstick, which was a warm peach color, and put it back in my bag. I could feel Xander's eyes on the back of my neck and was a little irritated he had interrupted the one opportunity rd had with Elaine, alone,

Elaine's comment about

and soon we were pulling to a stop in front

pointed in the distance, and I could see the farm truck parked outside the hotel's entrance. "Bethany got US a few

her," I said, then we both looked

as he looked

doors don't open. We have to climb out," Elaine said, motioning toward the back

asked, looking

Xander!" I urged, and he nodded, giving US both a dubious look as he slid out of his seat. Elaine went first, climbing over the center console in a practiced fashion. I, on the other hand, struggled significantly and to the point that Xander groaned with frustration and bent his head to reenter the car, pulling me over the front seat

turning a deep shade of fuchsia as he yanked

I said breathlessly, swatting him

wrong with you?" he asked, reaching down to push a

tickled. I'm-I'm

the hint of a smile touching