Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 14: Now, or Never

♦Lena*

Xander came through the doorway and turned to close and lock the door. He stood there for a moment,

his hand lingering on the lock as he took a deep breath.

"I think we're safe-" I began, but he shook his head, glancing at me over his shoulder before turning to

face me fully.

"What’s your plan with the man from the bar?" he asked hotly, and I straightened my back a little.

"Ben offered to show me around the village the next time the workers from the estate go to town, that’s

all.*

"Is that all?" he asked, taking a single step in my direction.

"Y-yes, Xander. He was just being kind."

I felt a little heated. Xander knew I didn't date. He knew I was focused on my studies to the fullest

extent. Ben had offered me something that I wanted, that was all. I wanted to see the village and the

people who lived there. I wanted to ask him questions only a local could answer. It wasn't like Ben had

asked me on a date.

But Xander had proved to be possessive and territorial already. And, of course, we'd kissed. That

definitely added a layer of complications to our situation.

"You need to watch your back, Lena. I can’t always be around to keep an eye on you," he said, his

voice catching in his throat. He was giving me an odd look, something I couldn’t quite decipher. I knew

Ben had made him jealous, or at least territorial. I hoped it was the latter.

"I don’t need you to watch out for me, Xander. I don’t expect that from you. I... this is for school, okay?

I’m not here to do... anything else. I think it’s best we... just focus on our studies, and be friends-"

"I can't be your friend," he said, his eyes flashing with frustration. It was dark in the cottage, save for

the woodstove that was burning down to embers. I swallowed, adrenaline rushing over my skin as he

took another step toward me.

I knew what would happen if I kissed him again. I wanted to, somewhere deep within me, but I also

knew once I went there, there was no going back. Xander got whatever he wanted, whoever he

wanted, based on his reputation at school. He'd already been seeing Jen. That should have been

enough for him.

"You have Jen-"

"I don’t care about Jen," he said with annoyance, now standing so close to me I could reach out and

touch him with my fingertips. I’d been taking a step away from him every time he took a step forward,

and now I was standing in the doorway of the bedroom. The air was electric, the tension so thick I

could cut it with a knife.

I knew we were both stressed out from the shock of the last week. I knew we were both tired. I realized,

as Xander took another step in my direction, effectively closing the distance between US, that I didn't

have much fight left in me.

I'd been fighting against myself, my feelings, and my desires for my entire life.

So, when he leaned in, his lips hovering above mine, I surrendered to what I truly wanted but didn't

have the strength to admit.

I reached up and ran my fingers through his hair, a single curl coiling around my finger as I looked up

into his dark eyes. I hadn't noticed the deep cinnamon of his irises, or the soft gold flakes around the

outer rim. He brushed his lips against mine as softly as possible, his hand rising to cup my cheek.

Now, or never.

I opened my mouth to him, and he kissed me fully. Every stressor and thought in my mind evaporated

in a single second as he brought both his hands to my face, holding me in place as he deepened the

kiss. A wave of longing, hot and desperate, washed over me as he backed me into the bedroom, his

lips not leaving mine for even an instant. I felt the back of my legs hit the edge of the bed. but he didn't

lay me down. His hands left my face, tangling in my hair as he trailed kisses along my neck.

His hands ran down the length of my sides, then he pulled my shirt off over my head, kissing me on the

forehead as the chill of the night crept over my skin, giving me gooseflesh. I felt myself cowering,

dropping my head as I took a single step closer to him to shield my body from his gaze. No man had

ever seen me without a shirt on before. He kissed me on the forearm as he pulled me into his, his hand

releasing my bra’s clasp so quickly I hadn't even felt it happen until the white, lace bra fell to the floor

between US.

"Goddess, you're beautiful," he said, his voice a hoarse growl as he ran his fingertips over the skin of

my belly. I swallowed back my nerves, but found myself unable to meet his eye. 'Are you alright?"

"I’m fine," I said, but my voice trembled.

His hand left my skin, and he touched my chin, lifting my face so I had no choice but to look into his

eyes. "You do something to me that I've never felt before," he whispered as he leaned in to kiss me

again. "What is this, Lena? Tell me you can feel this too."

He kissed me long, and slow, the feeling of his mouth on mine making me weak in the knees. I was

gripping him by the upper arms, my hands running over his exaggerated muscles beneath his long-

sleeve shirt. I couldn't answer him, I had no words lingering on the tip of my tongue. I felt nothing but

him, this moment, and the unrelenting urge to lie down, and let him claim me as his own.

My hands slid beneath his shirt and over the tight, smooth muscles of his abdomen. He was hot to the

touch, almost feverish. I placed my hand over his chest, over his heart, feeling the beats beneath my

skin.

But when I brought my hand up to the other side of his chest, he hissed, wincing in pain as I came in

contact with a bandage.

"What happened?"

"It's nothing," he growled, bending his head to nibble my earlobe. It sent a surge of desire through me,

and I momentarily closed my eyes, lost in the moment.

But when he pulled away and took off his shirt, I was stunned, and alarmed, at what I saw.

His chest was severely bruised, and a bloodied bandage covered his left pectoral muscle, just above

his nipple. The bruise around the bandage was a deep, gruesome purple color.

"Goddess, Xander, what happened?" I pulled away from him, sidestepping around him to turn on the

light. We were suddenly bathed in yellow light, and he squinted, covering his eyes for a moment while I

hastily pulled my sweater over my head. I gasped, bringing my hands to my mouth as my eyes

widened. "Oh, my Goddess-"

"I said it's nothing," he groaned, but then winced again as he reached up to touch the bandage. He

looked pale all of the sudden, his eyes glossing over as the pain of his touch radiated through his body.

"Xander, it looks terrible!"

"It's just a scratch-" he began to peel the bloodied bandage away, but then stopped, pitching forward

into my arms. I screamed as he fainted, his body knocking me over and pinning me to the bed.

"XANDER!"

He was extremely heavy as I fought against him. I smacked him in the face several times but he was

knocked out cold. I heard the front door open, and Henry called out, then in a split second he was

standing in the door. His eyes were wide as he stared down at US.

"Something's wrong with him-'

Bethany ran up behind Henry and pushed her way forward, looking just as pale as Xander. I looked

over Xander's shoulder, noticing for the first time the deep purple bruising the crept around his sides

and onto his back.

Henry moved forward with glancing in my direction, pulling Xander off me as though he weighed

nothing. My eyes didn't leave Henry and Xander as Henry lowered him into the floor. He peeled back

the bandage fully, revealing a deep, infected wound. A bite.

I felt bile rising in my throat as I covered my mouth with my hands.

"Bethany, get the medkit. The one in my cottage," Henry said softly. Bethany disappeared through the

doorway, the front door slammed shut behind her. "Go boil some hot water, and get me a few towels,

now." He glanced up at me from where I was kneeling on the bed. I nodded, moving quickly toward the

woodstove and grabbing the kettle and taking it into the bathroom to fill it, while also grabbing the

towels. My mind was moving a million miles an hour as I set the kettle on the woodstove, cursing under

my breath as I hastily stoked the fire. Bethany came back into the cottage, breathless, looking pale as a

ghost.

"When do the others get back from the village?" I heard Henry say as Bethany reentered the bedroom.

"Not until Sunday-"

"Good, this stays between US-"

■Wait a minute," I cut in, scrambling off my knees and running into the bedroom. "We need to get him

help-'

"Where's the water, princess?" Henry snapped, glowering up at me. He was on his knees next to

Xander, rifling through the large metal medkit Bethany had fetched. I was shocked at the contents. It

was nothing but herbs, and tinctures.

"Do you give everyone a pet name, or just me?" I hissed, my anxiety heightening as I watched him

open a muslin bag full of a blackened, dried herb I couldn't identify based on first glance. It stunk, and I

wrinkled my nose. "He needs real medicine!"

"You don’t know what he needs. Get out! Don’t come back until you have the boiling water for his

bandages!" Henry's sharp tone sent a chill down my spine..

"I can help him!" I pleaded, swallowing against the lump in my throat.

Henry peered at me, narrowing his eyes. "I said GET. OUT."

"Come on, Lena. It's going to be okay-'

Xander inhaled with a ragged, choking sound that startled all three of US. He tried to sit up, his face

contorted in pain as Henry held him to the ground by his shoulders.

"Jen! Jen-' he cried, then relaxed, but his body trembled.

Jen. He is crying out Jen's name. Not mine.

I felt my heart shatter into pieces as I slowly backed out of the room. Bethany watched me go. I could

feel her gaze on me as I turned and opened one of the drawers in the kitchenette that housed the oven

mitts and also grabbed a large, metal bowl. I poured the boiling water into the bowl, then carried it back

to the bedroom, setting it on the floor beside Henry.

"Soak the towels," he commanded, releasing Xander's shoulders. He was grinding the pungent herbs

into a fine powder, holding his breath while he did so. I wanted to ask what it was, but no words

escaped my lips as I dunked the towels into the water over and over until they were fully saturated.

Henry began to hurriedly clean the festering wound on Xander's chest. It was awful, the skin blackened

and raw as Henry wiped away blood. Bethany knell beside Henry. The two of them exchanged a look

before she reached over him for the mortar and pestle and then took a dark bottle from the medkit,

adding some water to the black powder.

"What is it?" I asked, but no one answered me.

Henry dabbed it on Xander's chest until it formed a thick paste then wrapped Xander's entire chest in

clean bandages. I watched as Henry and Bethany lifted him into the bed.

"When did this happen?” Henry asked, turning to me as Bethany zipped Xander into his sleeping bag.

Xander's eyes were fluttering, but he made absolutely no noise.

"I don’t know. I had no idea he was hurt!" I exclaimed, feeling completely panicked. "Is he going to be

okay?"

Henry didn’t answer. He stared at me for a moment before rolling his eyes back to Bethany.

"Stay with them tonight," Henry said in a low voice to Bethany, who nodded without saying a word. She

knelt to clean up the blood-soaked towels and his medkit, which he' d left behind.

I crossed my arms over my chest, watching her clean up, and felt a rush of fury wash over me as

Xander groaned in the bed.

"What the hell did that to him?" I asked hotly. Bethany glanced at Xander, then at me.

"Someone bit him."

"Bit him? How would that do so much damage?"

She shrugged, but her expression was pained.

"Was it the same thing that killed Gretta?"

"Lena, I don't know."

We both looked toward the window as headlights flashed, followed by engine noise. Henry was driving

the truck.

"He's going to talk to Maxwell about this," she sighed, standing up with the bowl in her hands.

"Why not just mind-link?"

"Henry can't do that any longer, not since his wife died," she whispered, walking out of the room. I

followed, turning off the light and glancing at Xander before I shut the door behind me, leaving it open

just a crack.

"Not even with... with family or pack mates?" I asked, then felt a little stupid.

"I’ve never asked. He's a private person."

I nodded, a little embarrassed. But Bethany just sighed deeply as she left the bedroom and washed the

kettle out in the sink, then refilled it.

"Want a cup of tea?" she asked, and I nodded. Soon, we were sitting next to each other, our legs

crossed, in front of the wood stove with mugs of tea in our hands.

"What’s going on in this place, Bethany?" I asked, turning to look at her. 'And what did Henry put on

Xander? That black stuff."

"Blood root," she breathed, bringing her tea to her lips. "That was blood root, Lena. The same stuff

that's killing the plants in the herb garden."