Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Slowly, he rolled off of me and laid on his back. I snuggled up closer to him and rested my head on his

chest, listening to his heart thrumming against my cheek. Theo rubbed my back gently, soothing away

every worry or doubt that lingered in my mind.

My eyelids grew heavy and the last thing I remembered was him telling me how much he loved me.

And me telling myself to just trust him.

The following few days, I barely got to see Theo as he was so busy getting settled in his new role.

However, there was very little I could do.

I loved spending time with him, but I knew myself well enough that I couldn't just sit there doing nothing

all day. I wanted to help, but what was I supposed to do?

Looking out the window, my mind wandered. I had been away from my pack again for a couple of

months now. Thomas of course would take care of the pack until my par- ents returned, but now that all

the crises were resolved at the palace, I figured it was a good time for me to go home.

Of course, if and when Theo needed me, I'd be back. I just couldn't allow myself to waste time, sitting

here all day, just for Theo to come back at night to give me a kiss. If I couldn't add any value to the

palace, at least, I could make myself use- ful back home.

Someone knocked on the door and I jumped up to see who it might be.

"Theo?" I opened the door, confused why he was already back. It had just past five in the afternoon,

and the sun hadn't set yet.

"Did you forget something? I could've grabbed it for you. Every minute of your time counts..."

"No, I pushed off the work for the rest of the day."

"Why?"

He grabbed my hand and left a kiss on the back of it. Then he gestured like a medieval gentleman.

"Miss Black, would you join me for a date?"

He smiled, and his dark eyes sparkled, like the most stun- ning star at night.

"Now?"

He chuckled, "Yes. Now. Let's go!"

"Wait, I'm wearing jeans. At least let me put on a dress."

"No need. You're beautiful in whatever you're wearing."

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He smiled and grabbed my hand, tugging me along. I had to jog a little to catch up with him.

Talk about men who had long legs...

We had never been on an official date before, and I couldn't stop guessing where he was taking me

until we got to the top of a small hill outside of the palace.

When we stopped, I gasped at the beautiful scenery.

The sun was setting, painting half of the blue sky in differ- ent shades of gold, orange and red. In front

of us, the silhou- ette of the majestic palace could be seen, with lights twinkling through its windows.

Night was falling, coating the forest be- hind us in a mysterious cover of purple.

Not far away from where we stood was a picnic table with a white tablecloth on it. A lit candle and a

vase with a rose were in the middle as a centerpiece.

"Please allow me." Theo helped me get situated.

"Theo, this place is beautiful!"

Theo grinned, kissed my cheek and sat across from me.

"Glad you like it."

Then he clapped his hands once, as if on cue, and a violin- ist in a tailored suit appeared. He stood by

our table and start- ed playing a slow, calm, romantic melody.

Following him were three servants.

Quchers

The one in the middle bowed slightly to both of us and smiled, "We have a very special meal for

tonight. A salad for starters with caramelized figs and pomegranate seeds, fol- lowed by a lovely, zesty

plum kharcho soup. For your entree, we've prepared roast duck with black truffle cream sauce, and

ricotta-stuffed zucchini blossoms. Lastly, we'll have a rhubarb and rosewater flan for dessert."

The other two servants stepped up and laid down our food on warm plates.

"Please enjoy." The first servant smiled again.

I stared at them for a minute and then stared at Theo. My heart was warm, and I was stunned

speechless by the gor- geous views, beautiful music and delicious aroma of food.

The music ended and the violinist along with the three servants bowed to us again, leaving me alone

with Theo.

Once it was just us, Theo picked up my hands, rubbing them gently with his thumbs. "I hope you like it."

"Theo, this is... this is just gorgeous. Thank you!"

"My pleasure. Sorry that I haven't been able to spend any time with you lately. I've been missing you."

I blushed. "We see each other every night."

"That's different. I wish I could be with you 24 hours a day."

"Me too," I sighed, "But I understand you have your re- sponsibilities...."

Theo looked me in the eye. "Ciana, I just want to make you happy, but I know something has been

bothering you. What is it?"

Did he notice that already?

Open communication was the most important element in a relationship, so I decided to be honest.

"Theo, I want to help. You have a million things going on and I understand there are things only you

can do as a king. However, if we're together, I want to share your burden in some way. I'm a little

unhappy because I can't be of any help to you."

Theo arched an eyebrow, and I was confused.

"Why did you look at me like that?" I asked.

"I thought..." Theo said hesitantly, as if he was worried that I'd be mad at him if he told the truth, but he

let out a breath. and finished his sentence. "I thought you were still upset about the other girls."

I shrugged and admitted, "Well, that too. But I trust you."

He froze and then broke into a chuckle, shaking his head.

"Did I say anything wrong?" I asked, getting confused.

"No,.. not at all. You just never stop to amaze me." He gave me a doting smile. "Ciana, I don't know

how I got so lucky to have you."

His deep, dark eyes locked on me, making me feel butter- flies in my stomach. I was lost in his gaze for

a moment before I cleared my throat. "Um...So, how are things going?"

Theo sighed, "We're getting more and more reports of re- bellion activity."

"That's... not good," I muttered.

"It is manageable, don't worry," Theo said with confi- dence.

"Really? Mind sharing your plans? I'm just curious."

He gave me a mysterious smile. "It's manageable because I have ambassadors for my court. As long

as they agree that I' m the kind of king that is needed, someone just and fair, their words could help

stabilize the country."

"Ambassadors..." I thought aloud, and then it was like a light bulb switched on as the realization

dawned on me.

"The girls!" I exclaimed, "That's why you didn't dismiss them all immediately! Those are all Alphas'

daughters, and they could make useful ambassadors for the royal court, as long as you could convince

them and show them that you're a good king!"

"Exactly." Theo smiled, seemingly proud of my thought process. "Sometimes, it's frustrating to have

such a smart girl- friend. I could never keep my secrets for long."

I blushed when he said "girlfriend". Sweetness filled my heart, and I murmured, "Stop teasing me, Your

Majesty!"

"It's not teasing if it's true," he claimed, still smiling. "Now, let's get our food started before it gets cold."

"Good idea. I'm starving!"

The evening went on, and Theo caught me up on a few other topics. I loved that he felt comfortable

sharing his work with me, even if I was just there listening.

"Alpha, I'm sorry to interrupt your night out, but we have two things to report," Jake's voice rang from

the woods be- hind us. He gave me a quick wave. "First, a scout has returned from checking on the

rebels. He's injured severely and wants. to speak with you urgently."

Theo's brow furrowed and he squeezed my hands.

"And what's the second?" Theo asked.

"Well, I'm not sure whether it's me overreacting, but I haven't seen Warren the whole day."