Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 2 : Rejected

*Lucas*

A pothole almost unseated me as my chauffeur, Ian, navigated us back toward my mansion on a hill from our stop at the post office.

“Ian, a little slower, please?" I said with a wince, pretty sure that last one was going to bruise my ass.

Not that it would be the only bruise on my body. I reached up and touched my cheek once more.

Sasha f*****g Wentley.

She packed a lot more of a punch now than I remembered her having as a kid, but she was still as feisty as ever.

A smile tugged at my lips, but I quickly covered it with a cough as Ian peered at me in the rearview mirror.

Mirrors were going to be the death of me.

When I'd snagged her deep, navy eyes at Nostalgia, I could hardly believe I was seeing her again after all this time. Sure, she'd become curvier in some places, places I couldn't help but notice as I approached her and her friend at the bar. With a tight skirt and a push-up bodice that was completely strapless, showing off miles and miles of fair skin, it was impossible not to notice. I was a red-blooded Lycaon male, after all.

She iced me out immediately, which was disappointing, but I guess at my twenty-seven to her twenty, I'd had more time to get over the past–seven years, to be exact.

I really should have found a new direction, and a different tight-dressed target, when her eyes telegraphed “f**k off" at me in that mirror. But her lavender scent was too tempting, too intoxicating to be ignored.

A whiff or two would be fine, I'd decided. I'd even contented myself with ignoring her, as she'd wanted, and talking with her friend. I could still breathe her in.

Sasha thwarted my carefully laid plan when she stood to go to the ladies' room, however. I'd gotten a few lungfuls of that sweet lavender, but not nearly enough when she slid off her barstool and stomped away.

And then that asshole....

That asshole–he dared touch what was....

I didn't finish that sentence in my mind. I didn't want to suspect something that was truly unbelievable and very, very poorly timed.

But when that bastard laid his grimy hand on her, the puppy was gone and replaced by my wolf. And he was pissed off.

I was surprised the whole bar hadn't heard my growl, crowded or not.

Then he'd started pushing her back into the darkest corner of the hallway, no doubt to do some dark deeds, and I lost it. I lunged, grabbed, and smacked faster than the fat asshole could stop his beer gut from jiggling.

The way my wolf was howling with rage, he was lucky I hadn't shifted right then. An ache had started in my bones, my wolf trying to come out to rip the i***t's throat out. Luckily, I'd had my temperamental wolf long enough to know how and when to get him to back down.

Still, my wolf whined as I let the bastard walk away.

That left Sasha staring at me, and me staring at Sasha.

I hadn't expected hugs and kisses but… she slapped me. What the hell was that for?

as those large eyes, deep and wide and blue as

of hers. They were as sharp as a knife, and they spoke volumes without her

pierced into mine, seeing through me and any number of facades I could have thrown in front of her, daring me to respond in kind. But

It was a risk to reach up and push her hair behind her ear, but well worth it to see a hint of warmth break the cold death

hand with a sigh. I wasn't going to be seeing the girl again anyway, so

just amused. I wondered whether, if Sasha were old enough to have a wolf, hers would be

I wondered if Sasha herself was all preening and

but this time, Ian did not meet my eyes.

was so big, it

would be the bulk of the pile, I knew, probably more than a few about the very potholes we kept hitting. You couldn't be a Royal Engineer without getting complaints about infrastructure. I was tempted to slit the twine with

eyes. This new library project occupied the bulk of my time, thank the Moon Goddess, but there was no shirking my other duties. Sleep had become a luxury, and just as

the

looking out

large size was a marvel of modern engineering, and, I thought proudly, a

was home, and I felt a great weight slide off my chest just

realized he'd already gotten out of the driver's seat and

pain in the ass, Ian,"

“I

stomping across the cobblestone to the front door.

tile floor and a sweeping, curved staircase. I walked right past the staircase, past the wide living room, and

a serum synthesized from the blood

at me,

always?" I grunted, finally elongating a claw and slashing through the twine holding my

counter, carrying with it

and started

was leaning over my shoulder, taking in the voluminous stack.

glared at him. “Will you stop

Brady grinned unrepentantly. “Nope."

was Brady's second favorite hobby, scaring the crap out of me with his creepy, silent vampire

His first....

have some girl waiting for you

was

Now I had to open

as many from ordinary shop owners and citizens about plumbing, electricity, water quality, and the like. City water was purified and just fine. Outside the city, however, it was still a bit hit-and-miss as the kingdom continued to modernize and

one really about redoing the palace steps because, and I quote, 'Mr. Nibbles is having a hard time climbing the stairs in his old age'?" Brady asked, trying to hold back

the small, aging black terrier, as though that would help persuade the Royal Engineers

this?" Brady asked, moving on to the next pile, bored

just moving on from boring complaints, but I followed Brady's movements as he snatched a general report to the royal staff out of the middle of the

both sobered,

edge of civilization again, rogue Lycaons who believed any breach

side and us to ours, but as the