Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 84: Do You Have Feelings For Me?

I kept holding my ankle, sucked in a sharp breath, and batted my eyelashes until I could force out a few

tears.

"I didn't push her that hard! Luther, she's faking it, she set me up," Jennifer whined, pointing at me.

"But you did push her, didn't you?" Luther asked, crossing his arms and glaring at Jennifer.

"I... well... yeah, but not hard enough to hurt her," Jennifer said again.

I just held my ankle tightly and let out a low sigh. If I kept my silence, Jennifer would look more and

more guilty. She'd even look a little wacky. I'd remain innocent.

"Luther, please, you have to believe me! I didn't mean to hurt her," Jennifer insisted, stomping her foot

like a rebelling child.

"I don't have to believe you," Luther muttered. "Especially, when my eyes can tell me that you are

lying."

"But I..."

"That's enough. I will deal with you later," Luther said. He took a knee beside me. "Ciana, are you

okay?"

"I... my ankle is twisted pretty bad," I muttered, looking at him with wide, glassy eyes.

Behind him, Jennifer fumed, her hands balled into fists again. If Luther hadn't been there, she probably

would have attacked me.

I ignored her. I needed to keep playing the role of the in- jured victim.

"Let me see," Luther muttered, taking my hands tenderly and pulling them from my ankle.

"I probably just need some rest. Is there somewhere I can lie down?" I asked, biting my lip innocently.

"Yes, of course."

I struggled to stand up, but gave a soft whimper of pain. Before I could try moving, Luther scooped me

up in his arms, princess style. My legs bent over one of his strong arms and his other looped around

my back. He cradled me against his chest.

"Luther, I'm sorry," Jennifer said, reaching for him as Luther walked by her.

"You've done enough. Don't worry, I'll follow up with you when I get Ciana settled," Luther snarled under

his breath.

Jennifer looked like she was ready to cry. I sighed inward- ly. I believed she did really care for Luther.

After we left the banquet room, I sighed, "Luther, Jennifer isn't a bad person. She just cares about you

a lot." Although I somewhat used Jennifer for my plan, I didn't want her to really get punished because

of me.

"You're still speaking for her after what she's done to you?"

"It was somewhat an accident." I told the truth. Sort of.

He carried me out of the banquet hall to a lounge and laid me down on a couch. He grabbed a pillow

and gently lifted my ankle, propping it up on the pillow.

Luther gave me a soft look and stepped away for a mo- ment. He came back with a cold bottle of water

and a blanket. Gently, he laid the blanket over me and pulled the edges so it covered me completely.

"How is that?" he asked, handing me the bottle of water.

I nodded, unscrewing the cap and taking a quick sip.

"This is just what I needed. I'm sure I'll feel better in no time," I said, offering him a sweet smile.

Luther grinned back, his eyes lighting up. He pulled a chair up next to me and removed the blanket

from my ankle, looking at it more closely.

"It doesn't seem to be swelling," he said. "That's good. Hopefully, it is a minor injury."

"Should I put ice on it, or maybe heat?" I asked, taking an- other sip of water.

Luther slid his eyes to me and chuckled. "Why don't you just rest it for now. If it starts to swell or get

worse, I'll get you some ice."

"Alright, that sounds good," I said, nodding.

"Is there anything else I can get for you?" he asked as he covered my ankle again.

He was being so sweet and tender, I almost felt sorry for what I was about to do. I might not agree with

his methods of seeking revenge, but I did feel sorry for what the king did to his pack and family.

Since my arrival, Luther had been polite and decent to me.

"I think I'm all set. Thank you and... I'm sorry."

Luther's eyebrows lifted and he cocked his head at me. "What are you sorry for?"

Damn! I shouldn't have said that. Now, I was making him. suspicious.

"Oh... I, well, I'm sorry for causing trouble and ruining your party," I said, thinking quickly.

"The party is getting boring. It isn't as interesting as you," he said with a shrug. He cracked a quick

smile and reached out, covering my hand with his.

"Still, this was a nice event," I said, looking down at his fin- gers curled around mine. I tried to pull my

hands away, but failed.

"This isn't your fault, Ciana. Jennifer can be... passionate at times. Don't worry, I'll make sure she

leaves you alone in the future," he assured with a nod.

"Luther I... I apologize for making a scene," I muttered, stopping myself before I said something I'd

regret.

Luther's eyes stuck on me like glue and he stared hard. Slowly, I lifted my eyes to his. His bright orbs

were full of cu- riosity.

Ciana, tell me if I'm crazy for asking this but... Is it possi- ble that you have feelings for me?" he asked.

My jaw slackened slightly, and I swallowed quickly, com- posing myself.

"I told you, we don't have to be enemies," I reminded him, smiling lightly to try and change the

seriousness of his ques- tion.

"That's not what I mean and you know it. Do you have real, romantic feelings for me?" he asked,

tightening his fingers around my hand.

I sighed and thought carefully about how to answer. If I shut him down, he'd put up his emotional walls

again and it would be harder for me to slip away. If I gave him the wrong idea, he might try to follow

through on something right here, right now.

This was not the time for me to try and spurn an unwant- ed romantic advance. I had to choose my

words carefully so Luther didn't become suspicious but also didn't take things the wrong way.

Finally, I smiled, "Um... that's a good question."

Luther smiled and waited for me to continue. I shifted my eyes to the ceiling, coyly, like I was

pretending to think about the answer.

"I'll have to think about it. If you're gentler with me than Prince Theo, maybe I could."

Luther smirked and nodded, like I'd just given him a chal- lenge. "Well, I'll just see what I can do about

that."

A knock on the door interrupted our banter and a maid came in. She looked at her feet while she

approached.

"My apologies, Alpha Luther. There are guests at the party wondering where you are," she said,

keeping her eyes down. Her cheeks burned red.

The poor girl wasn't a very good liar. I recognized her as one of Jennifer's maids. She'd probably sent

her here to check on Luther and me and report back. Jennifer didn't want Luther and me to be alone,

so she was using her maid to sep- arate us.

"My guests can wait. I'm helping a wounded friend," Luther argued, waving to dismiss the maid.

She stood her ground, probably ordered not to leave until Luther did. I was sure Jennifer assumed we

wouldn't do any- thing with a maid in the room.,

"Luther, you should get back to the party. I'm sure there are a lot of people you haven't talked to yet," I

urged.

As grateful as I was for his assistance, my plan hinged on him being distracted at the party and far

away from me.

Luther sighed and nodded. He squeezed my hand once more and stood up. "Ciana, tell me if you need

anything else. I' Il be in the banquet hall," he said.

"I know where to find you."

"Great. I'll be back to check on you shortly," Luther as- sured. He winked at me as he headed to the

door.

"I promise I'll be fine." I gave him a light grin.

The maid glared at me behind Luther's back, seeming an- gry that I was talking to Luther.

I simply gave her a nod and turned away from her gaze. I didn't see Luther that way. Why didn't anyone

believe me when I said I wasn't interested?

First Sophia, now Jennifer...

I waved after Luther as he left with the maid following close behind.

As soon as the door latched closed, I jumped up and stretched. It was dangerously close to the time I

was sup- posed to meet "Tallis" out at the garden. Luther had wanted to stay and talk and I hadn't

thought of a way to get rid of him.

I wondered what Jennifer's reaction would be had she known that by sending her maid in, she did me a

great favor.

I snuck out of the lounge, keeping light on my feet as I headed down the hall. I was careful not to attract

the atten- tion of any maids or guards still on duty. Fortunately, with the party going on, that was where

most everyone's attention was.

"Tallis" was already in the gardens when I got there. He was standing in the shadow of a tree. I could

tell it was him based on his stiff posture.

The moment he saw me, he let out a breath of relief and his whole being seemed to soften up a bit.

Had he been worried about me?

A surge of warmth flowed through my heart. After all, he did care about me, right?

"Hey, thanks for waiting," I said, jogging up to him at the tree.

He almost gave me a smile. But then he sniffed a couple times and crossed his arms, giving me a hard

look. I could clearly sense the vibe of irritation he gave off.

What was going on with his swift change of attitude?

"You're late," he sulked.

I swore it seemed impossible to please him sometimes, and for a moment, I wondered why I was going

with him just to be reminded how much I irritated him when Luther had been nothing but nice.

Maybe I could turn around and get back in the mansion and stay with Luther instead.

But I immediately shook my head and got rid of that silly thought.

There were people who had a nasty outer shell but good heart; And there were people who could

appear to be nice but were vicious deep down.

I knew for sure Theo, or Tallis, or whatever he wanted to be called, was the first kind.

"I know, as I just said, thanks for waiting." I arched an eye- brow at him. "But I'm here now, so we can

go ahead with the plan."

"Did you enjoy dancing with that usurper?"