Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 49 : Back Home

*Lena*

I woke around 4:00 a.m., taking a hasty shower and readying for my journey. The last three years of my life were packed in boxes and stacked in a pile next to the front door of our apartment, waiting for the postman to pick them up later in the day.

I wouldn't come back here. Maybe to visit, maybe, but otherwise, this chapter of my life had closed. I looked around the living room and kitchen as I slung my duffle bag over my shoulder, taking it all in–the twinkling lights that hung over the window, the pothos vines that climbed up the brick wall in the living room, the empty bottles of wine and pizza boxes in the kitchen.

Heather and Viviene were still asleep. We'd said our tearful goodbyes last night. They thought it would be for a long time, but they were wrong. I slid two envelopes on the kitchen counter, one for each of them before I headed out the door.

It was a short walk to the train station. It was frigid, but the sky was clear and stars still hung bright over the top of my head as I walked through the snow. I only saw a few people waiting for the morning train to Breles, which was less than a two-hour journey by train, their figures shrouded in shadow.

But one of the figures turned to me as I walked up the steps to the platform, and the thread tied around my heart tightened, taking my breath away. Xander walked toward me, his face void of expression, and took my duffle bag from my shoulder, carrying it for me as I followed him to the opposite end of the platform.

I was too shocked to speak. His cheeks, and the tip of his nose, were reddened from the cold. He'd been out here for a while then, and for a moment I thought he might be taking the same train. But he had no luggage with him. He set my duffle bag on a bench, exhaling deeply before he turned to me.

His eyes were dark wells, the little sparks of amber on display beneath the fluorescent lights of the station.

“I'm sorry."

“What happened?" I whispered, my voice edged with a nearly inaudible plea.

“It doesn't matter right now," he replied. He made no moves toward me. He tucked his hands in his pockets, his gaze drifting from my face to the snow-covered trees beyond the tracks.

“Are you rejecting me?" I dared to ask. I had to know.

But he didn't answer. He continued to look out over the park, his expression totally unreadable. “What did I do wrong?"

“You didn't do anything wrong–"

“Then why–"

“I can't keep you safe," he said sharply, his eyes meeting mine again so intensely I took a step away from him.

“Safe from what?"

He shook his head, shifting his weight as he looked away from me again.

So, it was going to be like this again.

“You hate me" I began, but he snapped his head toward me, fixing me with a glare.

“I don't hate you–"

“But you continue to play games with me. I thought you… I thought you wanted this. You marked me–"

“I marked you because you marked me first," he sneered, and my heart dropped into my stomach. I wanted to throw up. I wanted to sob. I took another step away from him, turning away so he couldn't see the blush sending a wave of heat prickling over my neck and cheeks.

“I don't remember doing it," I whispered, low enough I wasn't sure he'd heard me.

“It doesn't matter–"

“What matters to you then, Xander? Were you just in this to sleep with me? To claim me as some prize, to be able to say you bagged the Princess of Valoria? Or was it my powers you were after?"

His face was twisted with fury as he slowly turned his head to look at me, eyes flaming with fire as they narrowed on mine.

“You really think I'd use you like that–"

“You did, Xander. You did. And then you sent Adrian to clean up the mess–"

“Adrian?" he hissed, taking a step in my direction.

“He came to my apartment yesterday. He asked me if you'd told me… told me the truth–"

“Adrian doesn't know what he's talking about–"

“He was upset. He said Gideon had come looking for you, and that you went to Crimson Creek–"

“I didn't go to Crimson Creek," he said, his voice so sharp it could have cut me like a knife.

“Then where the hell did you go?!" I cried, unable to stop the tears from spilling over my eyelashes. “Why do you continue to do this to me? You push me away, then do everything you can to pull me back in, making me promises, telling me you love me only to push me away again. You're cold, Xander. You're a liar. You've been playing me the entire time."

“If thinking that makes you feel better, then by all means–"

“Are you joking?" I choked, trying to keep my voice low so the other people standing on the other side of the platform couldn't hear us. “Even if I actually marked you first, which I don't believe for a single second, you marked me, Xander. I've never experienced the kind of pain you put me through yesterday–"

“I'm sorry–"

“You're not sorry! You keep saying that, but you've never meant it, not once."

He was looking at me, his face stone cold. I wanted to slap him just to get a reaction out of him, but my arms felt weak at my sides. My heart was shattering in my chest, held together by the thread.

“I realized I was wrong. I woke up that morning and I knew it was a mistake. I have nothing to offer you but heartache and loss, Lena. That's all I can say."

I arched my brows, his words like a blow to my chest. The platform began to vibrate as a soft rumble sounded in the distance, followed by the lights of a train as it came around the corner toward the station.

Xander swallowed, his throat working and jaw flexing as he looked into my eyes. There was something behind his stare that gave me a single shred of hope. It was a look of absolute distress, like every word that came out of his mouth had been another set of his lies.

“This is over then," I whispered, my voice drowned out by the train as it pulled into the station. He reached for my duffle bag, but I grabbed it, moving away from him.

“Lena–"

“What else can you possibly have to say to me?"

If he said he loved me, I would really hit him, not just think about it. He was silent, however. I gave him one last look before I slung my bag over my shoulder and walked briskly away, the lump in my throat strangling me as I fished for my ticket in the pocket of my jacket.

In a perfect world, this would have just been a tiff, a lovers' quarrel. Xander would run after the train as it pulled away, rain would fall from the sky as I jumped out and ran to him, wrapping my arms around him as he kissed me, telling me he was wrong, that he loved me, that he'd meant it when he said it.

But this wasn't a fairytale. I boarded the train and walked as far forward as I could so I wouldn't see him standing on the platform as the train lurched forward. I set my duffle bag in my lap, hugging it like a pillow and leaning my head on the window, closing my eyes.

But I didn't feel the pain of rejection like I had the day before. My heart was broken, shattered beyond repair, but I didn't feel like my bones were breaking. I didn't feel like I was going to die from grief.

I closed my eyes as the train began to move, a slow crawl at first, then gaining substantial speed as it traveled out of Morhan.