Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 20 : We Need to Go Back!

♦Lena*

The library on Morhan's campus was massive and modem, towering over the other school buildings and casting a tall, five-story shadow over the student commons as I sat in a quiet comer on the third floor, flipping through yet another useless textbook.

I'd spent the last six hours in the library. I'd pulled every book I could find that covered botany, rare flora, and medicinal plants.

There wasn't a single mention of blood root or anything like it.

I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes, exhaling deeply as I closed the eighth textbook I'd flipped through that day. My eyes felt heavy, and I had a pounding headache. All in all. today had been a bust.

The only good news I received was that there had been a development in the murder case on the Radcliffe Estate. A note had been delivered to my apartment in the early morning of my fourth day back in Morhan. telling me I was to board the tram on Saturday, at exactly 7:00 A.M.. and make my way back to Crimson Creek. I knew I wouldn't have been called to return unless something significant had happened to stanch the threat lurking in Crimson Creek.

Back to business as usual. I guessed.

But. that also meant I'd be face-to-face with Xander once more.

I leaned forward in my chair, stretching my arms above my head and blinking several times to wash away the fatigue clouding my vision. I gathered up the books, my muscles straining under the weight of them as I carefully walked down the wide staircase leading to the counter where the librarians were currently lounging, not having much to do other than fetch the books I needed. It was fall break, after all. I'd never seen the libraiy so empty.

“I was wondering," I panted as I placed the stack of books on the counter, reaching up to wipe my brow, “are there any books on... ancient flora? Maybe even something about extinct flora and fauna found around the western continent?"

“Ancient?" said one of the librarians, looking down the bridge of her nose at me behind her glasses.

“Yes. I'm looking for something very specific."

“Well. Morhan doesn't have a catalog of ancient texts. We'd have to order anything over, let's say. two hundred years ago from the University of Breles-"

"Do you have anything here that has a single mention of something called blood root?" I pleaded, leaning over the counter.

“What's the taxonomic division it belongs to?" the librarian said as she adjusted her glasses and began to open a drawer beneath the desk.

“Bryophyta. I believe, but I could be wrong-"

“Moss?" she asked, giving me a quizzical look.

“It's-I've never seen it up close, but that's how it's been described."

“Hmm..." the librarian began to flip through the absolutely massive library catalog she had lifted out of the drawer, shaking her head. She eventually landed on a page, her finger running down the length of the catalog and coming to an abrupt stop. She peered down at it. tilting her head a little as she adjusted her glasses once more. "Well, there is a religious text, and it requires approval-"

“Approval for what, exactly?"

“It's not a text related to the Church of the Moon Goddess, for one. You know how those tilings go." She swiveled in her chair, then stood, canymg the catalog over to a huge computer that looked like it was made before the war that took place around the time my parents were bom. She blew a thick layer of dust from the keyboard then pressed what I assumed was the power button.

The sound of the ancient computer starting up was like a freight train, and it caught me off guard. She winced, shaking her head as she smacked the side of it a few times, which quieted it down.

"We never use this tiling for obvious reasons, but it is handy on occasion."

It took several minutes for the screen to flicker on. revealing pale green letters and a jet black screen. I watched as she typed in a few codes and eventually pulled up the book, then she drew in her breath.

"All. no wonder-"

“What is it?"

the White Queens removed from the libraiy. This was one of the only ones to remain. It lias what you're looking for." She paused as she scanned the text on the screen. “All. yes.

"What other purposes?"

catalog, but both the electronic directory

up. narrowing her eyes at the screen and then

catalog and went to the opposite end of the long, curved counter. She

settling on a file and pulling it from the cabinet. She leafed through it. a

I w as gripping the edge of the counter until my hands began to

“C. Maddox. I wonder-"

from the counter, my breath caught in my throat as I murmured an apology and darted away

when I arrived back to the apartment, my face flushed from the chill in the air and the internal battle currently taking place within my brain.

with you?" she asked with a laugh. "You look like you've seen a

out of my

sink." she said, nanowing

It's just

well, suit yourself. I was going to grab a

muster. I tried not to run as I crossed the living room.

Carly's disappearance

was part of something larger, and more threatening, than just wandering off into the hills one night and

thought, as I turned over in

to dr ift into sleep. I relaxed, my breathing slowly, and soon my thoughts were taken up by the other thing that had

Xander.

♦Xander*

hadn't quelled the burning in my heart. Lena's absence was ripping me to shreds, and I hated

for her. I also hadn't anticipated her reluctance to give in to her feelings for me. Lena could be cold, and while I wouldn't consider her outright stubborn, there was

future was going to be. that is. If w e made it off

ax back, splitting a large log clean in two. It wasn't enough. I needed something more physically

tree. She bit into an apple, chewing meditatively as I worked. She was supposed to be helping me by collecting the split wood and stacking in the lean-to against the side of the bam. but

batch is for tire manor." I grumbled, setting up

the last few days?

once again. Elaine said something along the lines of. "Good job", which she'd been doing every time I swung the ax for tire past hour. I straightened up. glaring at her for the hundredth time. "Don't you

work for

to do to make use

the estate." she said, the comers of her mouth tightening around a

you hear

ever since Lena boarded the train back to Morhan. I liked Elaine—as a friend of Lena. I trusted her. But

“What about it. then?"

if you want. But you'd have to let me lead, of course. I'm a local. You'd get

"I wouldn't get lost-"

with a silent challenge as she looked at me. I pursed my

“Fine, let's go."

jumping up from the felled tree. I

You have nothing to do. and like you said. I've split enough firewood to

Let's go."

then fell in

go through the woods. And listen. Xander, you have

asked as we left the area of the bam and bunkhouse

the apple orchard, which were situated at least a quarter mile

face me.