Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 22 : Does That Seem Fair?

I stared at Soren for a long moment, frozen in place.

Scoffing, I threw my head back. Of course, last night was just a means to an end for him. He would use it to his advantage now and find out what was in the box.

I'd made the deal that he would protect me but now that we'd sealed it, he could use whatever leverage he wanted. He could tell me that if I didn't show him what was in the box, he wouldn't help me.

Just because I'd given him my body didn't mean he had to respect that or honor it. With how casually he was treating last night, he clearly didn't realize how big of a deal it was for me.

It was just his way of using me. He got his own physical satisfaction, like any man would want, and now he was going to satisfy his curiosity, and his own ambition if he wanted what was in the box.

Every time he tried to hide his intentions, I saw the truth come through.

He was no different than any other man.

Had last night been a joke?

Soren probably saw me as nothing more than one of “those women" he'd referenced who showed up at his door in the middle of the night.

And maybe I was no better…

I glared at the floor and looped my arms around my waist. I'd been the one to offer my body as payment. But I had truly wanted there to be an alliance between us, a real one.

Soren seemed to have other plans.

My jaw tensed and I kept glaring at a knot in the hardwood floor. If I had any sense at all, I'd run from Soren now and leave him with the bitter memory of the night we spent together without ever fulfilling his true desire, to look into the box!

Sighing, I relaxed my arms and opened my eyes fully. Perhaps, there was another way to salvage this situation.

Last night was full repayment for the times he'd saved my life. From now on, whatever happened between us could be purely business.

“Have you already looked in the box?" Soren asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

Thinking fast, I nodded. It was a lie, but I needed to keep the upper hand in this situation.

“I did look," I said, offering no further detail.

Soren arched an eyebrow at me and I smiled coyly.

As it was, I was still weak from the poison. My wolf hadn't awoken yet, and wouldn't for a few more years. There were bounty hunters closing in from all sides. I had no choice but to work with Soren and use him to my advantage.

If I had to put myself in this position where I had to manipulate and use Soren, I might as well establish myself as the shrewdest one. Otherwise, I might lose sight of Soren's intentions.

Since it seemed as if he planned on using me, then I would use him right back. We could use each other until one of us came out on top. One of us would eventually outsmart the other. I'd have to play this game very carefully in order to be the victor.

And if he was going to use me for his own purposes, I could put him in harm's way without feeling guilty. That made this entire deal easier.

“Did it answer all your questions," he pressed. He remained calm and composed. His eyes were still gentle as he regarded me.

Whether he was feeling any tenderness at all from the night before or he was trying to make me let my guard down, it didn't matter. I wouldn't fall into his traps.

“It did. But you don't even know what my questions are, so seeing it won't give you any more insight into me," I insisted, pointing to myself.

Soren chuckled and shook his head. “Don't be so sure."

I faltered for a moment but I kept my expression cool and aloof.

“A bit cocky, don't you think?" I challenged, arching an eyebrow.

Soren wasn't stupid. He was one of the smartest, most strategic shifters I'd encountered. Taking advantage of him came with risks. I knew that.

Not just because he was smart but because he was powerful and had a whole band of rogues that followed him. I hadn't seen his ruthless, cunning side, but I had no doubt that it existed.

If I crossed him and he found out what I was doing… Well, I had a feeling I'd rather turn myself over to Alpha Chandler than find out what Soren would do to me.

I bit my lower lip and gave Soren a sultry look.

He pursed his lips and set his book down. I could no longer read the emotion in his eyes.

“So, what's in the box?" he asked.

Slowly, I licked my lips and ran my hands down my sides. My dress tightened slightly around my curves and the neckline pulled lower, revealing more of my breasts.

Smiling, I flipped my hair over my shoulder and laughed playfully. I was thinking on my feet, trying to distract him and come up with a lie at the same time.

“Inside that box is something so powerful that it could turn this world upside down, of course. Whoever gets their hands on it might even be able to… control the world, or destroy it," I explained silkily.

Soren's eyebrows shot up into his hairline.

I licked my lips again and pranced across the room to him, swaying my hips sexily.

His eyes fixed on me as I moved. It was hard to tell what he was thinking but I knew he wouldn't be devouring me with his gaze if he wasn't transfixed by me.

I stopped in front of Soren, so close that if I took a deep breath, my breasts practically brushed against his chest. Smiling coyly, I lifted my eyes to his, half-lidded under my long eyelashes.

“Just so you know," I said in a low tone that expressed both danger and temptation. “Only I can control what's in the box. If I die… it would be useless."

I reached out and pressed my finger to Soren's bare chest. His eyes widened as I trailed my finger down the centerline of his torso, between his pecs and his abdominals. Just when I got to the waistline of his pants, I hooked the tip of my finger in his waistband and then pulled back.

Soren's eyebrow twitched and he let out a nearly inaudible grunt. I wasn't sure if he was angry that I was playing with him or angry that I stopped.

He remained silent but I held his gaze, still giving him an innocent yet sultry smile.

His eyes looked right through me. I could practically feel his gaze wrap around my heart. It was like he saw straight into my soul and knew what I was thinking, feeling, and planning. I felt like he could peel away my lies and knew exactly what I was planning.

My lower lip quivered and my breath hitched, but I leaned a little closer, trying to play it off like it was our proximity, not his gaze, that had me trembling.

Suddenly, I wondered what Soren really thought of me. He was older and much more experienced and mature.

Was I just some child to him, playing games and pranks under the watchful eye of an adult? Did he even take me seriously at all?

I swallowed and lost my composure for a moment. Blinking, I quickly recovered and I smirked at Soren again, maintaining my confidence.

It didn't matter what he thought of me. This was about my survival and getting my answers. I didn't need him to think highly of me in order to get what I wanted from him.

Soren chuckled suddenly, his lips curving in a smile.

“Sounds good to me. Do we have to chat about it all day?" he asked.

I sniffed and crossed my arms. Honestly, I thought he'd pressure me more into explaining or demanding that I show him what was in the box.

He didn't seem that eager to see it with his own eyes. The fact that he trusted what I said was baffling. I hadn't even looked in the box and somehow, I'd convinced him I knew what was in it and how it worked…

“I thought you wanted to see it," I said, testing his response carefully.