Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 90 : Secret Plans

*Lena*

I brushed a kiss against Xander's lips, but then pulled away. I looked down at him, taking in every line and sharp curve of his face. I ran my thumbs along his jaw, holding his face between my hands as I met his eyes.

The room around us was quiet, and the curtains to the strange underground world outside the palace were closed, shielding us inside a sanctuary of deep greens and red velvets. I did feel safe here. I felt safe for the first time in a very, very long time.

“Are you feeling better?" he asked, his voice the softest whisper. I nodded, shrugging a shoulder as I continued to look down at him. “Did you really think cutting your hair was going to be enough of a disguise to prevent people from finding out who you were?"

I glared at him, then attempted to roll off of him as a playful expression played across his face. He held me in place, arching a brow.

“I thought you'd left me," I said sharply, swatting him.

He only tightened his grip. “Do you understand now that I've never done that to you, not even once?"

“What about the train station?" I countered, and he let out his breath.

“I thought I was protecting you from… from this."

“You should have told me about the vampires."

“I know. I'm sorry. I should have, but I honestly thought I could prevent this from happening."

I could hear the regret in his voice–could see it flashing behind his eyes. Silence settled between us for a moment, and I placed my hands on his chest.

“Are you healed?" I asked weakly.

He nodded, then smirked, rolling his eyes as he gathered me against his chest and rolled me over so I was laying against him instead of straddling him.

“Did you get the royal treatment too?" he asked with a little laugh.

I matched his smirk with one of my own. “Are you telling me a group of men held you down while they rubbed you with oils and herbs?"

He blushed, pursing his lips into a tight line. “I've never felt better, honestly."

“Adrian will never let you live this down," I smiled, but choked on the laugh threatening to escape my throat. “What… what happened in Cedar Hollow after I was.... Where is Sasha? The little girl I was...." Tears welled in the corners of my eyes as I pressed my cheek against his chest.

Xander took a deep, pained breath. “She's fine. We couldn't find her mother…"

I listened with a heavy heart as he explained the aftermath of the attack. Clare and Hale hadn't been found, but the castle had burned down to the foundation. Several people died, but the power I'd unleashed had effectively ended the attack, and the families were able to escape and start what would become a long journey to safety along the northwestern coastline.

“We found Oliver when we reached Avondale. He… he came with Adrian and me across the sea to Breles. We took the Persephone–"

“You what?" I gasped, lifting my head to look him in the eyes.

“I can't go back to Avondale, just so you know. Keaton will have my head. We technically stole it–"

“You STOLE the Persephone?"

He nodded, a boyish gleam in his eyes as he fought the urge to smile. He told me Abigail had stayed behind in Avondale to make sure Sasha was delivered to the palace, and that he, Adrian, and Oliver made it to Breles but didn't make it all the way to Crimson Creek.

“As far as I know, Adrian and Oliver are safe," he concluded, but I could sense the worry in his voice. He didn't look at me, his eyes were fixed on the light fixture on the ceiling, looking far, far away as he lost himself in thought.

I didn't press him for details about what had happened during his time in Maxwell's keeping. We didn't talk about what I'd done in the ruins of the ancient temple outside of the estate, either. We just held each other.

A clock chimed somewhere in the room. It was midnight, and I lifted my head off his chest as I looked toward the door to our bedroom.

“Do they sleep at night, like us?" I looked toward the curtains, noticing the light of their artificial day had ebbed into darkness.

“Costas said their lights are timed so that it's day here when it's night above ground. So they have a similar sleep schedule that we would have, I guess. He said they don't need to sleep often, or very much."

“Are we the only shifters here, at least in Brune?"

“Yes," he said with conviction, meeting my eyes. He took a deep breath, pulling me close. “He's going to use this as an opportunity to declare war on King Nikolas, to free his people. He knows about your powers, what you are.... We need to leave tomorrow, Lena, and go back to the pack lands if you're strong enough to open the portal again. Costas said King Nikolas uses the lower vampires to mine bloodstones, which allows him to temporarily harness powers that allow him to open small breaks between our realms."

“I know," I whispered.

“We can't be here. This isn't our fight."

He was right about it not being our fight.

It was mine.

I closed my eyes, letting the conversation drift into silence. I didn't want to talk about it. I wanted to remain in this cloak of safety, and quiet, and just be with him for a moment before we had to decide on our next move.

Because I knew we'd be separated again, and I didn't know how long it would be this time. There was something I needed to do before I left this place.

And Xander couldn't know my plans.

An hour passed, the clock chiming again to announce it was now one o'clock. I languished on the edge of sleep, my body and mind totally confused on what the actual time was in my own realm.

Xander's hand eventually drifted to my belly, spread wide over my navel. I almost flinched at his touch.

“You're sure?" he said in a whisper, and I nodded against his chest, my eyelashes grazing his skin.

“I know you said it wasn't possible–"

“I'm sorry, Lena."

“Why are you apologizing–"

“Because this isn't what you wanted," he said, the sharpness in his voice making me wince. “At least, not with me. Not like this."

Everything I'd said to him about how complicated our relationship would be as rulers of two different realms came bursting to the forefront of my mind, and I felt a pang of unexplainable guilt and hurt.

“This is what I always wanted, but never thought I'd have," I admitted. “I don't care what comes next. We'll figure it out. You always said we would."

He relaxed as I spoke the words and nuzzled against him. Let bygones be bygones, I thought, closing my eyes.

His hand remained on my stomach, tracing little circles across my skin with his thumbs.

“You said… I was sure I heard you say we're having a girl–"

“I did," I replied, my voice a whisper against his skin.

He sighed deeply, and I looked up to see a smile flicker across his lips. His eyes were closed, and for a moment I had the urge to tell him I'd met her, that I'd seen her–that she looked like him.

But I didn't. I felt as though I needed to keep that knowledge to myself, to keep it safe, and secret, but only until what I needed to do was done.