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!"

off the property until the Alpha of Crimson Creek

feeling heated. "I’m here because-because I had no other options. It’s not fair. None of this is fair. You came here because for some reason you wanted to follow me. You said you felt obligated. And now? Someone gets murdered, you get

arched his brow,

tears begin to well in my eyes. 'I'm

kissed you, something bad has happened," he finished,

put on you. I can't

And we

actually wanted to say. I didn't know how he

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

settling my eyes on the curtains covering the

It wasn't a sex

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 the

could see the dissatisfaction now, lingering behind his eyes. For a split second, I

I felt the tears again and quickly changed my

"So, she attacked you?"

I think. I thought... Lena, look. I'm sorry-" he proceeded to tell me what happened in the warehouse, just hours before he caught up to Elaine’s car as we were heading

Did she go to the

see her,"

shook my head then brought my

told Henry what happened. He's going to take care of

seem to be too interested in what happens

Morhan for a few days, maybe a week

***

the night before he had passed out cold, crushing me,

as I watched him prepare the slide

a playboy, someone who didn't take their studies seriously. In reality, he was meticulous and highly intelligent, even if I would

leave out that

me as he 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

of slides in the cabinet over there," he said, waving his hand in no

and set it on the table then stood back a bit and waited for him to show me what

says valerian root,"

rolled my eyes. "Do

deadpanned, squinting

"What's going on here?'

dated outfits. Xander glanced over at him, his gaze lingering on the man for a few

"Work, for our study-"

was on pause,” Maxwell said as he walked closer to US, his hands tucked behind his back. He looked me up and down, a smile touching the corner of his mouth. I felt uncomfortable under his gaze. Xander picked up on this, glancing over at me and

next

is coming up, and it'll be all hands on deck." Maxwell was looking at the box of slides then shifted his gaze to me. I inhaled, nostrils flaring, as he eyed me with interest. "You might be students, but this is my

but I could feel the heat coming off of him as he looked at Maxwell with a look of sheer

is taking 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

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

immediately bent his head back down to the microscope. He peered into it for several

too saturated with

"You couldn’t see anything?"

readily identify as abnormal." He ran his tongue along the inside of his lower lip, meeting my eye. Then, he shrugged. "We ll have to get a

"Of blood root?"