Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 142 : The Most Perfect Thing

*Lena*

“She'll never deliver another baby in this territory again," Dad huffed, crossing his arms over his chest as he glanced at the armchair near the window where Xander was on the edge of sleep with a bundle of blankets against his bare chest, our newborn daughter nestled warmly against his skin. Xander's eyelashes were fluttering, his breath slow and easy as he began to fall asleep.

I nodded at Dad as he caught my eye, and he walked over to Xander, slowly taking Alexis from my mate's arms so as not to startle either of them. Xander's head slumped forward, his body relaxing into a deep, likely dreamless, sleep.

We were all exhausted. Three hours ago, I'd looked down over the top of the swell of my belly as Clare and Xander crouched in front of me. Mom and Maeve held me upright as Clare guided our daughter into the world, and Xander caught her, his hands the first thing Alexis would ever touch.

My healing blood immediately started to knit together the trauma of the surprise breech birth. That's why Dad was so angry. The midwife hadn't called or come back to the castle now that early morning was upon us to check on me and Alexis, and she hadn't said anything about the baby being breech–not once.

She might not have even known, which I tried to explain to Dad as he rocked on heels, patting Alexis lightly on the back. But then, if she hadn't, she probably wasn't a very good midwife to begin with.

Mom quietly snuck into the room carrying a breakfast tray. I could smell the heavily sugared tea with milk, and I swallowed against the dryness of my throat in anticipation.

“Oh," she said, glancing at Xander as she set the tray on the bed. “I brought him some breakfast too. I'll take it back down to the kitchen to keep it warm–"

“I'll just eat both," I said with a smile, my stomach tightening with hunger.

My body was sore and aching with fatigue, and the smell of bacon, oatmeal, eggs, and toast with plenty of jam and butter was intoxicating as Mom adjusted the tray over my lap and fluffed my pillows to make it more comfortable to sit upright. Dad watched her pour two cups of tea, and he smiled lovingly as she handed him one. He deftly balanced the tea and Alexis at the same time, looking so much more at ease than I'd seen him in the last several weeks.

“He used to wake up with you," Mom said as she sat on the edge of the bed, smiling up at her mate. “He used to drink his coffee while walking you around the castle so I could get a few extra hours of sleep."

I smiled weakly as I brought my tea to my lips, my hands still a little shaky from the birth.

“Alexis will likely sleep for most of the day, for a time. We can take her downstairs for a while if you want to try to get some rest," Dad said, his voice a soft whisper.

I ate a few spoonfuls of oatmeal, the ache of hunger in my stomach beginning to ease.

I felt oddly empty, and I realized with a pang of sadness that I'd no longer have Alexis's kicks to keep me company. I looked at her, her mouth a perfect O against Dad's pale blue button-up shirt. She had a full head of thick, jet-black hair that was already starting to curl around her tiny, pink ears.

She was the most perfect thing I'd ever seen in my life.

I felt a tear slide down my cheek as I bent my head to finish eating my breakfast, as well as Xander's, while Mom and Dad spoke in hushed tones at the end of the bed.

Mom cleared my plate away and poured me another cup of tea before she leaned down to kiss me on the forehead and smooth away the strands of hair that were sticking to my face, dried with sweat.

“Try to get some rest, alright? Maeve called down to the hospital, and a doctor is coming by later this morning to check on you both."

I nodded as I rubbed fatigue from my eyes. Xander stirred in the armchair, adjusting himself into a more comfortable position.

“I'll make sure he has a warm meal to look forward to when he wakes up," Mom whispered, kissing me once more before she followed Dad out of the room.

I laid back against the pillows and sipped my second helping of sickeningly sweet tea. I could already feel the effects of the hot meal and tea taking hold on my body, giving me and my powers the energy they needed to heal.

I had almost fallen asleep when Xander jumped to his feet, his body so tense every single muscle was tight and rigid across his chest and abdomen.

“Mom and Dad took her downstairs so we could rest," I said sleepily, patting the bed. “You should come lay down."

Xander exhaled deeply, his shoulders relaxing a fraction of an inch as he ran his hands over his face and sat on the edge of the bed, facing away from me.

I ran my fingers over his back, just marveling at him for a moment. My mate–he was my mate. And he'd given me a daughter.

“Are you feeling alright?" he asked as he turned and slid beneath the covers. I nodded at him, tears welling in my eyes as he opened his arms to me.

He wrapped his arms around me as we laid side by side, my cheek pressed against his chest. He took a trembling breath, and I glanced up at him through my lashes, noticing the far-off look in his eyes.

“What's the matter?"

“I don't know," he replied, his words whispered against my hair. “I don't think it's really hit me yet that we just had a baby."

“Well, it's only been three hours."

His chest trembled with a laugh, and he relaxed around me, nestling me closer.

“You were very brave," he murmured, and I blinked back a fresh round of tears.

“So were you."

“Thanks," he sighed. “Clare was the real hero, though. I don't even want to think about what would have happened if she hadn't… If she hadn't known what to do."

He was right. Clare had likely saved my life, as well as Alexis's, by guiding her into the world. Alexis was born feet first, but it was obvious she was stuck, and likely had been for a while.

My throat tightened around my first memories following her birth. It felt like ages went by before I heard her first cry. The silence had been deafening, broken only by my choking sobs while I begged for someone to tell me that she was okay.

Mom, Maeve, and Elaine had laid me back against the carpet, tending to me with the gentlest words and touches imaginable while Clare, Grandma, and Xander coaxed Alexis to take her first breath.

But she did breathe. Her skin turned a rich pink, and her cries mingled with the thunder ripping the sky in two. It was the most powerful, earth bending moment of my life.

A new White Queen had been born.

And then I'd been cleaned up and tucked into bed with Alexis snuggled against my chest, her little legs tucked up under her belly like she had been in the womb. I didn't think I'd stopped crying since she'd been born, and my cheeks were tight with dried tears.

Within a few minutes, the room had been cleaned, and Xander and I had been left alone with our daughter, a sense of peace embracing us as if we hadn't just been on the verge of a tragedy.

“You should rest. I can go downstairs to eat and check in on Alexis," Xander muttered as he toyed with the strands of hair falling down my back.

“You need to rest too–"

“I slept already–"

“For twenty minutes!"

“It's only six in the morning, Lena. I'll come take a nap later, I promise." He turned to the window, noticing the gray blue light coming through the curtains. A dreary, cloudy day was breaking through the darkness of the storm that had raged all night. “Adrian and Abigail should have been able to disembark their ship by now, if they made it to the port."

“They're in for a surprise when they get here," I smiled as Xander sat up and reached for my tea, draining it in a single swallow.

“Get some sleep," he whispered as he bent his head. He kissed me fully, richly, his tongue running across the length of my lower lip. I felt a surge of desire for him, and was slightly disappointed when he broke away from the kiss and hopped out of bed.

He pulled on an old sweatshirt of his from his days at Morhan and ran his fingers through his hair before leaning over the bed to kiss me again.

“I love you, Lena. Thank you–" he added with another kiss. “Thank you for giving me a daughter. I've never known a stronger woman in my life. I'll never come close to deserving you."

“Xander," I cried, my voice breaking around his name.

He only smiled at me, his finger running along my jaw as he backed away and rounded the bed.

I laid snuggled into the pillows, closing my eyes to the sound of the door opening, then shutting as he left the room.