Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 553

Chapter 53 : The Alpha King of Egoren

*Xander*

If she didn't know the truth, well, she knew now.

The look on her beautiful face was exactly what I thought it'd be as I walked up to her, bowing my head toward her in a formal greeting. But I gave her a wry smile as I straightened my neck, looking into her pale gray eyes as they widened.

I bobbed my head at Abigail, whose mouth gaped in surprise. Prince Oliver arched his brow at me, then looked at Lena, his face lined with confusion.

“You know this guy?" he said, pointing his thumb in my direction.

Lena snapped her mouth shut, her eyes narrowing and her shoulders trembling. She was going to bolt.

One, two, three…

She was gone in a flash, running out the open doors to the terrace and disappearing around the corner. I pursed my lips, tilting my head toward Abigail.

“How are you–"

“What the hell are you doing here!" Abigail hissed, her face flushing with all color.

“You know him too?" Prince Oliver was thoroughly confused, looking from me to Abigail as he waited for an explanation.

“I apologize," I said, smiling at Oliver but not bowing. His rank was below mine, after all. “I'm Alexander Crimson, Alpha King of Egoren."

“Alpha King?" they said in unison, to which I smiled, arching my brows.

“Did you say Crimson, as in Crimson Creek?" Abigail asked with marked confusion.

“Unrelated; that was merely a coincidence," I replied, tapping my fingers on the glass of bourbon I was holding.

“I've never heard of Egoren–" Oliver began, but I waved my hand in dismissal.

“It's far south–"

“South?" He crossed his arms over his chest, looking me up and down, his gaze settling on the crest pinned to my chest. “A new pack, then?"

“Very old, actually. Anyway, it's been a pleasure. Congratulations on your new sister-in-law, Prince Charlie–I mean Oliver. I need to go find my mate."

Oliver was seething, but I just couldn't help myself. I'd spent the last hour trying to gain entrance to the ballroom, being stopped by everyone and their mothers it seemed. Before that, I'd spent the last week jetting across the entirety of the f*cking pack lands trying to find the couple that could help… help all of us. I'd been successful, and Lena was who I was here for now.

I had an incredible amount of explaining to do.

“Did you just say your mate?" Abigail asked, her mouth remaining ajar out of surprise.

“Didn't Lena tell you?"

“Tell me—No. No, you're not. You can't be–"

I passed them in two long strides, Oliver hollering after me as I stepped out onto the terrace and walked briskly around the corner where I'd seen Lena disappear. I could feel her. The mark on my shoulder was throbbing painfully as I walked the length of the terrace. Being a stone-cold bastard to her on the train platform in Morhan had nearly killed me. The train had pulled out of the station, ripping my heart out with it.

But she'd been in danger without knowing it, and I had no choice but to leave her behind while I sought help.

Ethan Gray. There was a time when he'd just been the Alpha of Drogomor, his title hardly holding weight. Now, he was titleless because he'd stepped down from all of that but remained the most powerful man in the pack lands because of the way he'd spread his family into positions of power that spanned continents. He was the King of the World, in my humble opinion. And I'd just spent the last three days groveling at his feet.

Whether or not he'd believed a word I had said, well, that was yet to be seen. His eyes had flashed with understanding the second I spoke his brother's name, however. The doors were opening, so to speak, and we had no way to stop it.

There was only one person who could, and she had no idea how.

I reached the edge of the terrace after a good while, which I found exceedingly annoying. It wrapped around the whole castle, which was three times as large as any castle I'd ever seen. It was a city within a city, and I was breathing heavily by the time I reached the gate to the secluded back garden. It was ajar, the wrought iron handle still warm from Lena's touch.

“Lena!" I called out, stepping into the shadow of a thicket of towering palm trees tangled in Monstera vines.

I took a few steps more, breathing deeply in the rich, humid air. It felt nice here. Really nice–

***

*Lena*

My hand throbbed and I stifled a scream as I held it to my chest, the force of the slap I'd just planted on Xander's face reverberating through my body as I staggered backward. He cussed, bending over as he held his cheek, then turned his head to look at me, his teeth pulled back in a sneer.

His lip was bleeding, the blood staining his teeth red in the eerie light of the moon drifting through the palm trees, shrouding us in darkness.

“I deserved that–"

“What the hell are you doing here?" I screamed, but in reality, it was only a strangled sob. I reached up to wipe my tears, praying to whoever was listening that my makeup was still intact.

“To find you, obviously," he said, rubbing his cheek. I'd left my handprint on the side of his face.

“You broke up with me, Xander!"

“I had to get you as far away from me as possible until I figured this out!"

I glared at him, crossing my arms over my chest. He huffed, then spit blood onto the sand-colored tiles beneath our feet.

“You look beautiful, by the way," he said, wiping his mouth and straightening his tuxedo.

I looked over his outfit, my eyes lingering on the royal crest on his sash. “Who are you?" I asked, meaning for it to come out harsh and cold, but my voice was a whisper edged with grief. I barely recognized him.

“The Alpha King of Egoren," he said softly, damn near casually as he adjusted his sash. He wasn't even looking at me as he said it.

“There are only two Alpha Kings–"

“In this realm," he interrupted, his eyes piercing mine.

I swallowed, furrowing my brow. “Realm? I don't understand–"

“I don't want to talk about that right now. It doesn't matter, not yet." He took a step toward me, but I moved away, shaking my head.

“We will talk about it now."

“There are other things–"

“Xander," I breathed, fighting back tears as I looked into his eyes. “Please."

The pain was evident in my voice, and he didn't miss it. His face softened, his eyes misting for a moment before he cleared his throat and tucked his hands into the pockets of his trousers.

“I came here a year ago. I was looking for something… someone, in particular." He sighed, his face etched with pain for a moment. “You told me your mother was from Lycaon's line… from the people of Lycenna. Well, so am I, but it's different–"

“What are you talking about–"

“I'm trying to explain!" he bellowed, then shook his head, mumbling an apology as he ran his hand over his face. “My people left your realm, starting new in the kingdom Lycaon created before he died. I rule it now. But, my line… my ancestors passed on powers like your own. It was a curse, though–dark powers, soul-sucking powers." He shifted his weight as I held my breath, my mind reeling as his eyes met mine again.

“My uncle married someone with the powers of the White Queens, someone from your line, but removed. A distant cousin, perhaps. They were able to wed, to be together. They were mates."

“What are you trying to say?"

“My mate was here, Lena. I left my home to find her. I left to find my Luna, the mother of my future children–" His eyes widened as his dropped his gaze to his feet, then staggered back a step, pinching the bridge of his nose like he had a headache.

“Are you alright?" I asked before I could stop myself. Every fiber of my being wanted to rush forward and throw my arms around him, to comfort him, even though he didn't deserve it.

“I'm fine," he replied, but it didn't sound like he meant it. He didn't sound fine at all.

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