Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 569

Chapter 69 : In the Builder’s Garden

*Xander*

I realized quite suddenly that something was off about this place. I'd been following the orbs of light through the forest for what felt like ages. At first, I daydreamed. I went over my argument with Lena on the beach and the storm that had come out of nowhere.

I was going to ask her to marry me, but not there. Had her demonic little cousin not ratted me out for having a ring, I would have waited until the perfect moment and gotten down on one knee.

But I'd thought, at least at the time, that a discussion beforehand was the right thing to do given the situation. She knew I had the ring, so why not make my intentions clear and give us both a chance to talk about a probable future instead of just springing the question on her?

That conversation needed to happen regardless. The idea of being separated was the only thing keeping us apart, and I hadn't had the chance to sit Lena down and explain to her that it was likely we'd be apart for a very long time, and not because we were ruling different kingdoms, no.

War was coming. War was already happening in Crimson Creek. War was threatening both of our realms if I didn't stop it.

Her grandfather had passed me a note on the day of the wedding. He'd stared at me during the ceremony, no doubt trying to catch a glimpse of my answer in my eyes. When I'd gone to see him in Winter Forest, I'd told him everything I knew, warning him of what I believed was to come. I'd left to find Gideon and only found ruin.

And his note during the wedding? A simple question. “When?"

The longer I walked through the forest, the more time I had to wonder how the hell Rowan had been able to ship me off to Goddess knows where without me having had a chance to answer to the patriarch of the family first.

It didn't make sense, but neither did the trees and flowers I passed that looked nearly identical. Neither was the strange vacuum of silence in the forest, not a bird nor rustle of leaves to be heard. The sky remained a pale pinkish violet, never once fading or brightening to show the changing of the hour, yet my legs were growing faint from hours upon hours of walking.

I paused, letting the orbs carry on without me, and gazed at a rock formation I could've sworn I'd seen before, just a few hours ago, actually. White roses bloomed from throned vines that snaked around the top of the rock, like a crown.

These vines weren't even connected to the soil–

I whirled around, peering closely at the trees around me.

Perfect–everything was too perfect to be real.

I dropped to my knees and ripped at the grass, which was plush, blemishless, and as soft as cashmere.

Wrong, wrong! Everything was wrong!

“Where the f**k am I?!" I screamed with my fists clenched to my sides. Laughter ripped through the silence, fading away as the orbs disappeared from view.

“It's not far now," said the voice, but I shook my head, breathing heavily as I whirled around again.

“What are you? Who are you?"

“You've already asked that question. I don't know. I just am."

“This place isn't real, is it? I'm dreaming? I'm dead?" I looked down at the ground. I'd just torn several fist-sized patches from the earth. I'd held them in my hands, felt the deep brown soil falling between my fingers. But now? The grass was untouched, long, green, and dappled with dew. “f**k me–"


“You're not dead," the voice said as though whoever or whatever was speaking was standing right behind me. It snickered into my ear. I punched the air wildly, which elicited more laughing.

“Then where am I?"

“The Builder's realm," said the voice with an air of pride.

“Who is the Builder?"

“The Goddess. You should be grateful she granted you entry to this place."

The Goddess?

I chewed my cheek, staring blankly through the trees as reality crashed down on me.

“No way," I said with a little laugh, shaking my head. “Hm, no. Nope. No, No–"

The answer should have been clear from the beginning when I opened my eyes to this place for the first time and realized I had no memory of leaving the beach. One minute I'd been standing in front of Lena, begging her to listen to me, and the next?

“You've gotta be f*****g kidding me!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands in the air in surrender. “What the f**k? What exactly did she do to me?"

“Who?" asked the voice, and this time its reply was not followed by mocking laughter.

“Lena, the motherfucking Moon Goddess, that's who. She zapped me here–"

“Zap?"

“She tossed me into this realm, however it works. Sucked me in. Does she know that I'm here? How do I get out?"

There was no answer.

So, I lost my mind. I started running, turning in random directions and sprinting as fast as I could into trees and bushes, wondering if I could break out of this place. I hurt myself over and over, my face bruised and skin torn from my attempts to climb trees and reach the top of the canopy that sheltered the forest floor, but every time I reached the upper branches, the tree would simply bend, dumping me back on the ground.

“LENA!" I screamed, but it was no use. She'd trapped me here.

“So, you know the Builder personally?" said the voice.

My skin crawled at the idea of some unseen entity watching my every move, but so far it, whatever it was, was the only other being around to converse with. I straightened my shirt, the same one I'd been wearing the morning I'd asked Lena's parents for their blessing, and examined the cuts and bruises on my hands that healed right before my eyes.

“She's my mate."

“Ah, so you ARE the man."

“I don't understand a f*****g word you say," I mumbled, picking a few twigs from my hair and flopping to the ground, my arms and legs outstretched. I was exhausted. I felt like I'd been up for days. I had no concept of time anymore. I closed my eyes and heard an annoyed sigh drift in the silent breeze that ruffled my hair, but didn't touch the trees or foliage around me, of course.

“We're not far–"

“Not far from what?"

“The Builder's garden–"

“I'm not going anywhere. I'm tired."

Silence. I opened one eye, watching for those strange white orbs, but saw nothing.

“I'll go to this garden if you explain to me what you are. You're some kind of spirit, right? Or are you a manifestation of Lena's subconscious sent here to torture me?"

“The Builder, you mean–"

“Yes, for the love of the Goddess. What is this place? Am I… am I dream dancing right now? Is that what she calls it?"

The voice let out a low laugh, and I imagined it shaking its head at me.

“No. Are you familiar with the story of Leto?"

“Of course. Who isn't?" I griped, knitting my hands over my chest and looking up into the canopy, watching the leaves. This place looked and felt like I was inside of a painting. The colors were vivid, dreamlike. If what the voice was saying was correct, Lena had made this place.

“Leto, the original Moon Goddess and the mother of your false God Lycaon–"

“False God?" I said with a little laugh.

“And Morrighan, the first White Queen. Leto and her children could build realms, but Morrighan never tapped into those gifts. Lycaon built your home realm as a final gift to his most devoted followers, those who followed him through the southern pass. Thus, your realm was born, and the White Queens remained in the realm Leto built when she separated from the realm of the Gods to be with her mate."
The Novel will be updated daily. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

Comments ()

0/255