Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 132 : A New White Queen

*Xander*

Maeve walked toward us, a beaming smile stretching across her face. She was dressed casually in a pair of pale blue gym shorts and a T-shirt, her hair knotted in a large bun on the top of her head. Lena looked surprised to see her, which I found odd.

“I decided to stop here on my way to Winter Forest," Maeve said as she pulled Lena into a hug. “I'll be back before the baby is born; I promise. I'm catching a flight to Winter Forest after dinner tonight."

“You're leaving so soon?" Lena was disappointed, I could tell. I'd just arrived, so I had no idea who was currently staying in the castle. Lena's surprised expression told me Maeve had just arrived, and likely while we were talking with Carly and Lincoln.

“I have a few things I need to discuss with your grandma. Plus, Troy is meeting me there. I finally convinced him to leave Breles for a few weeks and take a break."

“Has he not been back to Avondale?" I asked, and Maeve shook her head.

“No, not at all. Will has been standing in as Alpha for over two months now," she replied.

An odd feeling settled in my stomach and I glanced at Lena for confirmation that something was up. I felt the change radiating off of Maeve already. She was… relaxed, peppier than I'd known her to be.

Troy's behavior in Breles suddenly made sense. I'd seen him briefly when I arrived back in the Realm of Light. I spent a few nights in Breles searching for Oliver. I wasn't going to make the trip to Crimson Creek, at least not yet. The only thing on my mind after crossing the portal into Lena's world, was her.

Troy had been wholly focused on rebuilding Breles. We'd had a conversation about the most recent plans for who would claim the title of Alpha of Breles, and I was shocked to learn that Charlie's mate was related to the late Alpha in some way, a distant niece. There was talk of Charlie becoming the Alpha of Breles, and his mate ruling as Luna.

Talk wasn't a great word for it, actually. Troy was talking about it like it was already set in stone.

With Will ruling Avondale in his parent's absence, and Charlie in Breles, Troy and Maeve were… free. But that didn't feel right.

“Are you moving to Winter Forest?" I asked without meaning to say it out loud.

Maeve stared at me for a moment, her mouth twitching at the corners into what I thought might have been a smile.

“It's hot as hell out here," she said, wiping her brow.

The sun was beating down on us, and my own skin prickled with heat. Maeve and Lena were already turning a bright pink, and I nodded my ascent as Maeve turned Lena toward the castle.

But before we walked through the great, arched wooden doors, Maeve turned to look at me, a twinkle in her eye.

I felt my breath catch in my throat as an understanding passed between us, and months and months of pressure eased from my shoulders in a single second.

***

Maeve. It was an informal dinner, and we were serving ourselves, but that

and I felt a prickle of heat run down the length of my spine. We'd spent the majority of the afternoon tucked away in Lena's bedroom, and

was hoping dinner wouldn't take long so I could go back upstairs with Lena. Two months had felt like an eternity, and we had a lot of

The airport's not that far," Maeve replied to Hanna's offer to have a car brought around to take Maeve to the airport. “My luggage is in Winter Forest already,

to stay?" Hanna asked with a hint of suspicion to her voice. She eyed Maeve, who was loudly stirring

flashed between the two women, some silent, knowing conversations only the two of them could hear. Hanna's eyes narrowed, and she gave Maeve a look I didn't know Hanna was capable of giving anyone. I saw her

part of Lycaon's line, and

Hanna asked in a lifted voice, her voice as sweet

tension descend on the table as Maeve pursed her lips

tired of feeling like I have sand sticking to my skin all day," she drawled, leaning back in her

could practically hear Lena's heart thundering her chest as she leaned forward, her

out a breath and rolled her eyes,

to Winter Forest. It's not a

rose from the table, the dishes clattering as her belly knocked against it. I started to

color. For a moment I couldn't tell if it was relief or disappointment that flashed behind

my dinner like nothing

steady. Hanna arched her brows, glancing at Lena. “And I'm going to… I'm going to step in when Mom is ready to step down," Maeve continued, casually sucking on

even bothering to use the serving utensils that had been laid out. I bit into it as I glanced from woman to woman, trying to read the conflicting emotions crossing over the faces of my mate and her mother. Maeve, however, looked as

with disbelief. “Really?" she asked. Maeve nodded, shrugging a shoulder. “You're going

thought you were abdicating the title?" Hanna gasped, shock etched into

I spent weeks battling against the undead. I think maybe I was wrong in giving that up. I want a little more out of life." She turned to look at Lena, a soft smile touching her mouth. “As long as you're okay with it,

it would likely be decades until Lena needed to

toward the doorway leading out of the dining room. I muttered a curse under my breath, as Lena's nails bit into my skin. She was trembling with excitement, which

who just nodded

and Lena and I were alone in the main corridor. She spun around and heaved

entirety of our relationship, the

breathed, her voice laced with

but

and she took it, letting me lead her back upstairs to

her and immediately went to the old “Morhan Varisty Wreslting" duffle bag I'd been carrying around for months. That bag had seen some s**t, that was for

just carried a gift