Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 106 : Portal to Home

*Lena*

This place, whatever it was, was a land of eternal sunshine. I wondered if I may have dreamt about it at some point during my childhood, and maybe that dream had spurred the creation of my own garden realm.

Everything was too beautiful and too good to be real, and as we gathered in the clearing under the gentle rays of a forgiving sun, I felt a pang of regret at the idea of leaving.

We'd only spent a day here at the most, enough time to rest and eat. Xander and Zeke spent much of the last several hours in quiet conversation, but their eyes told me they were plotting something grandiose, something… violent. I tried to stop myself from thinking of what would need to come next. Next was war, next was c*****e, and even in her seemingly infinite wisdom, Andromeda had little answers for us.

Xander was upset by this and accused her of purposefully talking in riddles. Oliver was too wrapped up in the mate bond he felt in this place to focus on anything, or anyone, who required his attention. But something changed in him as we prepared to leave, and Andromeda noticed the change, although she hadn't spoken a single word to him and left him to her acolytes instead.

“They said there is no one by the name of Elaine here," Oliver said, his voice laced with hurt. Andromeda twisted one of his glossy, copper-blonde curls around her finger as she circled him, her wide mouth curving into a smile.

“She was here, but she left. You'll see her again."

“I haven't seen her at all," he said in a whisper, his cheeks coloring as he lowered his eyes. Xander watched him with a careful gaze, then glanced at me, those dark eyes heavy with emotion.

The only thing Oliver had ever wanted was his mate. I'd known that since we were just children. He'd thought that was Hollis, and maybe even for a moment, he'd thought that had been Abigail as well.

He'd followed that bond here, and it had dropped him right at the doorway to the place where Elaine had been, at least for a moment. Now, she was gone.

“People can just come and go?" Xander asked.

Andromeda shook her head, folding her arms over her lap as her acolytes scurried around behind her, readying the book for its journey. They were wrapping it in silk and tucking dried flowers within the folds of fabric.

“Your witch was seeking her friend, and through our seers was able to locate him–"

with a quick nod that said, 'We'll talk about this in a moment,' as he

sat down for a picnic a few hours earlier, and based on the glow of her

at each other, their plans finalized, and then he wrapped an arm around Oliver's shoulder and led him away to talk in private. My stomach was in knots, my throat tight and my mouth dry. My time spent in Crimson Creek felt so simple compared to this. The fate of my world

the book is given to your aunt as soon as

throat, tilting my chin upward as I looked into her eyes. “It's a long journey to Winter Forest from Crimson

turning the ring over in her palm before handing it to me. It was ancient, the band glistened green

found along the beach in Winter Forest, like the jade my father had made into wedding

to my gait now, and I could

in this place for two weeks, maybe

have been months back

we walking into once we

Penny, who was standing hand in hand

Xander said quickly as we left the clearing and began walking through

silence, followed by the acolytes, one of which

together–willow trees with thick trunks and billowing branches that brushed the ground, mingled with towering spruce and birch trees

and wood stove smoke as we neared

She lost herself in a memory for a moment, a sadness blurring her features, but then she snapped back to reality and turned to me. “You look like her, you know–such fair, delicate

“Were you friends?"

temple. “Yes, we were friends. I would say… if my kind had the blessing of a mate bond, we would have shared

she came, motioning for the acolytes to step forward with the book. They tried to hand the book to Xander, but Andromeda shook her

he gathered

fabrics, and myself in a pale blue dress that brushed my ankles as I walked. Andromeda had brushed my hair, her strokes causing it to lengthen until it was nearing

the moonstones that it had been a gift to her from Morrighan. Who else could have

eyes shining like two different colored gems in the light filtering