Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 15: Did I Hurt You?

♦Lena*

Xander and Henry had been talking, closed up in the bedroom, for more than two hours. I'd been kicked out of the cottage completely, made to sit on the porch like a child, twiddling my thumbs. It was Saturday, midday, and the rest of the workers were still enjoying their weekend in the village.

It was eerily quiet and dumping rain.

Henry pushed the door open and stepped out, not even looking in my direction as he walked down the steps and out into the downpour. I glared at him as I rose, crossing my arms over my chest as I watched him disappear around the corner of the cottage, walking toward his own with his medkit tucked under his arm.

I went inside, taking three long strides before reaching the bedroom door, and pushed it open.

Xander was sitting upright in bed, his back against the wall and his legs splayed out in front of him. His chest was bare, despite the chill, and his bandages were fresh. Henry must have changed them, I thought as I stepped into the room and leaned on the doorway, giving him a dubious look.

"I'm fine,” he glared, adjusting his weight with a grimace. He patted the bed next to him, arching his brow at me. “Do you want to finish what we started?’

“You're insane,' I hissed, tapping my fingers on my elbow as I looked him up and down. He looked much better than the night before. To my utter disbelief, the strange bruising was almost completely gone. 'You screamed Jen's name, by the way.'

"Henry told me. He also said it upset you.“

"I was more upset about the thought of you dying right in front of me. You fell on top of me, you know. You passed out.'

“Did I hurt you?" he asked.

I colored, then shook my head. Maybe not physically, but emotionally?

He watched me for a moment, his eyes scanning my face to make sense of my troubled expression. 'Jen did this to me, Lena."

"What?" I asked, not sure I'd heard him correctly.

"She bit me,” he said casually, reaching over to grab a book off the bedside table.

I gaped at him, then furrowed my brow. "Stop messing with me, Xander!'

"I’m telling you the truth. She bit me. Obviously, she gave me... some kind of infection.'

"Was she marking you?' I asked, feeling suddenly weak and defensive. I hugged myself, wishing I hadn't asked it.

"She was trying to take a chunk out of me. Not the same thing," he actually laughed, then patted the bed again with more force.

I gave in to him and crawled onto the bed. but didn't sit next to him like he wanted me to. I felt incredibly uneasy, and shocked, if I was being honest.

"What did you talk to Henry about?" I asked, wanting nothing more than to force him to dress and head to his makeshift lab in the warehouse. I knew Henry had smeared the black, murky blood root powder over his wound.

"Look, Lena,' he breathed, sitting up a little straighter. "You're going back to Morhan next weekend. Henry is going to set everything up-"

"No," I said with force, but he held his hand up to silence me.

"It's not up for debate. And its not for good, just for a week or so until all of this gets sorted out-"

"No, Xander! You don't get to decide that for me!"

Lena. Okay? Henry said Maxwell Radcliffe want you off the property until the Alpha of Crimson Creek gives US an update

some reason you wanted to follow me.

magic?" Xander arched his brow, interrupting

weird, Xander. It's scary." I swallowed, feeling tears begin to well in my

something bad has happened," he finished, shrugging

root Henry put on

And we

was staring at me intently, waiting for me to say what I actually wanted to say. I didn't know how he knew, but he shook his head, his eyes hard

ended things with Jen,' he said calmly, tilting his

the curtains covering the window.

It wasn't

a few times then turned to look at him again. When he'd kissed me, he'd been gentle. He'd been caring, asking me if I was okay. The first time we'd kissed, we had almost just gone all

a split second,

felt the tears again and quickly

"So, she attacked you?"

to tell me what happened in the warehouse, just hours before he caught up to Elaine’s

Did she go to the

her," he

my head then brought my

what happened. He's going to take care of

Maxwell? He doesn't seem to be too interested in what happens around

for a

***

despite the fact that the night before he had passed out

over my chest as I watched him prepare the slide

playboy, someone who didn't take their studies seriously. In reality, he was meticulous and highly intelligent, even if I would never admit that I thought that way about him to his face. "It's mixed with my blood, but you’ll see that on the slide. You took a chem class, I'm

out that it was just a

carefully squished the sample between two thin pieces of sterile glass. He was wearing a flannel shirt, but it was unbuttoned because of the pain in his chest, his bandages

the cabinet over there," he said, waving his hand in no clear direction. 'Bring them

grabbed the box out of the cabinet and set it on the table then stood back a bit and waited for him to

slide that says valerian root,"

my eyes. "Do

deadpanned, squinting

"What's going on here?'

the warehouse, wearing one of his strange, dated outfits. Xander glanced over at him, his gaze

"Work, for our study-"

looked me up and down, a smile touching the corner of his mouth. I felt uncomfortable

next

hands on deck." Maxwell was looking at the box of slides then shifted his gaze

didn't say anything, but I could feel the heat coming off of him as he looked at Maxwell with a

a sabbatical, Mr. Smith. I’m afraid she didn’t have the opportunity to tell you," Maxwell smirked. He was obviously talking about Jen. Xander eyed him but didn’t bother to correct him. "And Lena, it's been a week, and I haven't yet had the pleasure of dining with you and showing you the manor. I’ll call on

bobbed his head to US and turned on his heel, leaving the warehouse almost

for several minutes,

sample is too

"You couldn’t see anything?"

of his lower lip, meeting my

"Of blood root?"