Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 21 :1 Need to Tell You Something

*Lena*

He was waiting for me at the train depot, leaning against the farm truck with his aim crossed over his chest. I fought against the smile threatening to stretch across my face as I walked down the steps off the platform, my duffle bag hanging over one shoulder. He eyed me. looking me up and down.

‘’Hey." he said, his voice void of expression.

My heart sank as I gave him a tight-lipped smile and crossed in front of him to climb into the passenger side of the truck.

I'd be gone for just over a week.

I hadn't been able to get him out of my mind.

What did I expect him to do, really? Had I wanted him to run to me. to pick me up and swing me in a circle like something out of a romance novel? Had I wanted him to admit he'd been pining for me, to try to convince me everything I thought about our brief, but passionate, liaison had been something much more serious?

I was the problem. I know that much. I had no right to expect anything from him.

‘’I need to talk to you about something," he said as he put the truck in drive.

It was dark out, the little town of Crimson Creek speckled with yellow light as we drove toward the forest. I looked out my window as we crossed the bridge, seeing Radcliffe Manor rising in the distance atop its hill, peeking out over the trees.

“About what?"

“I got the sample we were talking about," he said casually, glancing over at me before focusing his eyes back on the road. "I'm not sure what I'm looking at, honestly."

"You made a slide?"

"Of course."

"I..." I wavered, shifting my weight in the passenger seat as we continued along the narrow road through the unforgivingly dark woods just inside the boundary of the estate. I looked at him. searching his face for a moment before I told him about the book I had found out about in the library.

"So, you're saying Carly knew about blood root?"

"I'm saying she knew about it and went back to Morhan to try to find out more information about it. I saw the date on the file, the date she checked out the book: it was only a week before she went missing. She had to get administrative approval in order to even check it out."

Xander exhaled, his nostrils flaring as he considered what I was telling him.

"Morhan didn't mention any of this in the file they gave us," I urged, with an emphasis on "any."

Xander abruptly stopped the truck, shifting it into park. He cut the headlights, and in an instant, we were blanketed in total darkness.

have another three weeks

here knowing what happened

though. You were the one who wanted to focus on our studies. This field study meant the world

but he turned to face me. his

I said, we only have three

trying to cover something up, Xander-the university that

to face me

"We're not

were sent here to investigate why the crops on this estate are dying off, Xander. It's the blood root. The blood root is doing it. But it also healed you, remember? It's obvious Henry knows what's going on, but he refuses to say anything. He wants us both

on and shifted

"Stop!"

parents know you're out here. Lena?

spoken to

"They know I'm here."

was murdered on this

swallowed, shaking

This is up to

tread water with me. Lena, for Goddess sake. I got you the blood root sample. We can test it against the other samples you've collected. We pretend everything is fine: we stay out of the way. We

then what?"

into drive. “What about? Our field

I was, maybe, even starting to fall for him. But did we have a future together? It

narrow road that cut througli fields of grain. The cottages came into view, and I noticed smoke coming from the chimney

It was perfectly warm, and I noticed a few changes right away. I'd only been gone for a week, but Xander had pinned several of his notes and charts to the wall in

on the truck that still sat in the living room. "I was worried Radcliffe would take apart

door behind me and

wait for Xander. My emotions were getting the better of

stepped inside, his hand on the doorknob.

sweatpants before Xander had come in, and I smoothed them down as I followed him back out into the living room. He sat on his usual spot on the trunk. I sat in the armchair, and for a split second, I had a vision of the two of us as elderly people, sitting side by side in high-backed chairs, holding hands as

that was creeping over my cheeks. I lifted my

you blushing?" he asked, lifting his mug to his lips. He was dressed in his signature gray sweatpants and a thick black sweatshirt that said "Morhan Varsity Wrestling" on

so much easier if

was in Morhan. I hit him in the head with a shampoo

Xander arched his brow.

"Why a shampoo bottle?"

encounter, to which he smiled softly and occasionally chuckled. Eventually. I told him about my failed attempt to

do you feel about the fact that she's