Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 133 : Something’s Wrong with Him!

*Lena*

“Will you be my wife?" Xander asked, his fingertips running down the length of my spine.

His touch sent a ripple of gooseflesh over my skin and I shivered, giving him a gentle smile.

“Aren't you supposed to get down on one knee?" I teased, and his dark eyes narrowed on mine, glimmering with

mischief.

He let out a long sigh and slid from the edge of the bed to his knees. He held up the ring, c*****g his eyebrows.

“Now ask me again–"

“Lena…" he growled, his cheeks coloring with what might have been a prickle of annoyance. Xander had been

playing games with me since the day I met him. It was high time for a little payback.

“You're not really selling it, Xander," I quipped.

He exhaled through his nose, nostrils flaring. Clearing his throat, he blinked up at me, his face settling on a blank,

void expression.

“Will you, Princess Selene Gray of Valoria, Daughter of Alpha King Rowan and Queen Hanna, granddaughter of

Ethan Gray and White Queen Rosalie, Niece of–"

“Oh, for Goddess's sake–" I snatched the ring out of his hand and it slid it on my own finger, giving him an

incredulous look. The band was incredibly tight, and when I tried to force it over my knuckle, he reached out and

stopped me.

“Your fingers are swollen," he chuckled. “It'll get stuck–"

“I'm huge," I frowned, my shoulders slumping.

“You're pregnant," he corrected, his fingers tilting my chin up so I could look into his face as he rose to his full

height. “And you've never been more beautiful. It's just a ring, anyway. I honestly don't plan on even wearing a

wedding ring, and I don't think you should either."

“What? Why?"

“You're constantly out in the dirt, Lena," he laughed, sitting down next to me. “You snag your ring on a tree branch,

or something, and rip your hand open–"

“Goddess, Xander! I doubt that'll ever happen."

He shrugged, laying down on the bed with his hands crossed over his chest.

Like so many times before, all that I wanted to ask was, “What now?"

Maybe he'd been reading my mind, because his eyes traveled from the canopy of my bed to meet my gaze, a

sleepy, boyish smile touching his lips.

“Do you think your aunt was serious about being the next White Queen?"

“She's serious," I breathed, crawling towards him and laying down on my side. He ran his fingertips over the swell of

my belly, his touch sending little bursts of electricity over my skin.

“Are you upset about it?"

“No," I admitted, “I'm not upset, not in the slightest. Especially now that… after everything that happened, you

know. I haven't ever ruled over a pack before, not like my parents or my aunts and uncles have. I need more

experience."

“You need to live a little?"

“Yeah, I… I do."

And now I had the chance. I had decades of life to live before I even needed to think about taking my Goddess-

given throne. I nestled my cheek against his chest, closing my eyes against the soft circles he was tracing over my

hip.

“Before I left Egoren," he began, “I… I put some things in motion in the event I didn't come back."

“What do you mean?"

“My Uncle Theo is the interim Alpha until I make up my mind. He's been seeing to things for the past… well, over a

year now, while Adrian and I...." He tapered off, his chest raising and falling as he took a breath.

“While you were here looking for White Queen to kidnap and drag back to your realm?"

“I mean, you aren't wrong."

I smirked, nestling closer to him.

“Anyway, if I choose not to come back… there are options. But I'd have to return after the baby is born to–"

“Xander. I'm going back to Egoren with you."

Xander's body relaxed around mine for a moment, exhaling deeply.

“Are you sure?"

“Yes–" I looked up at him, giving him a soft smile. “But I think my family will want a wedding here, first, a big one,

most likely."

“Is that what you want?"

I pursed my lips, mulling it over. To my surprise, I kind of did want a big wedding. I wanted all of our friends there,

our family… his family, too, if that was even possible.

“Yes, actually."

“Then we'll have a big wedding," he said with conviction, then paused, looking down at me. “But no pink, okay?

There was still pink glitter all over the palace in Avondale when I was there yesterday."

I wanted nothing more than to roll over onto my belly to rest my chin on his chest while we talked, but the baby was

in the way. “You were at the palace?"

“Just the foyer. Maeve wasn't there, and now I know why. Will was out on business and Hollis was taking a nap, from

what the butler told me. I was looking for Oliver."

“I thought you said you traveled from Breles to Avondale with him?"

“I did, yeah. I stayed the night in his house downtown but in the morning he was gone. He barely said a word to me

the night before. I'd left the ring in his safe; that's why I was there. I left it there before Adrian, Oliver, and I went to

the Findali after you were taken by King Nikolas."

The mention of King Nikolas's name made my skin crawl. I shivered involuntarily. Xander pressed me close to him,

resting his chin on the top of my head. Maybe one day these memories wouldn't feel so fresh or so painful, but for

now....

“Is Oliver okay?"

“No," he answered honestly.

“Are you okay?" I asked, my words laced with worry. He exhaled through his nose, his eyes fixed on the far wall.

“Yeah, I'm fine."

But there was a hitch to his voice, a lie woven between the words. I ran my tongue along my lower lip and decided

prying wasn't the best course of action. If Xander wanted to talk about what he'd been through during the war,

especially when I'd been… when he thought I was dead. I'd listen, but I wouldn't force him to talk unless I needed

him to.

“We should probably tell your mom we're engaged," he whispered after a few moments of contemplative silence. I

sighed, nodding. I sat up, stretching my aching legs out in front of me. I had another two months until this baby

would be born, and that felt like an eternity.

“We can tell your dad in two days' time."

“What's in two days?" I asked as I followed him out into the hallway.

“I have to go back to Breles, to Crimson Creek. I think you should come too."

“Crimson Creek–"

“We need to check in on our friends," he breathed, taking my hand as we walked toward the stairs. “And I think

that's where Oliver went. I need to… I think we should both try to talk to him."

What Xander really meant to say was that I needed to be the one to talk to Oliver. No one else in our realm

understood what Oliver had done as much as I did.

***

I woke up with a jolt, moonlight flooding through my bedroom window. I'd heard something, but now I wasn't so

sure.

It was quiet in the room as I gathered the sheets up to my chest, looking around in the dark. I turned to Xander,

who was asleep on his side, facing away from me.

I laid back down facing him, my knees curled against my stomach. I reached out to touch him, to lay my hand

against his back but before my hand met with his skin, he let out a low, terrified moan.

“Xander?"

“No–No–"

I scooted toward him, wrapping my arms around him. He was trembling, his whole body shaking and damp with

sweat.

“Xander," I said against his back, squeezing him gently.

He heaved a breath, then thrashed, his elbow nearly striking me in the face as he flopped onto his back.

I scooted away from him, but not fast enough. He grabbed my arm, his fingers clamping down so tightly that I was

sure he'd leave bruises. He was trying to bring me closer to him, his other hand coming up toward my neck.

“Xander!" I tried to pull myself away, but he was too strong.

His face was etched with fear and pain, his teeth bared in a grimace. But his eyes were still closed. He was asleep.

He was dreaming.

“Don't touch–me—"

His hand flew around my neck and I screamed. I kicked at him, my hands swinging wildly as I tried to smack him to

wake him up.

He cried out like I was hurting him, his chest heaving like he was struggling to breathe.

“Wake up!" I cried, clawing at the hand that was starting to squeeze my neck. “Xander!"

The door to my bedroom swung open and in a flash of red, Maeve was launching herself on the bed. Xander began

to fight her as she pinned his arms down, his mind still wrapped in whatever vivid nightmare he was having. He let

go of my neck and I reared away, crawling back toward the end of the bed, my hands coming up to my neck. His

nails had left divots in my skin, and tears were streaming down my face as I watched Maeve do everything in her

power to wake him up.

She let him go long enough to pull her arm back and slap him with all of her strength, the sound of her palm

meeting his cheek echoing through the room and the hallway beyond.

Xander cried out, then his body slackened. He was panting, his eyes watering painfully as he slowly brought his

fingers to his face. Maeve flinched like he was about to strike her. She slowly climbed off of him, lingering by the

side of the bed, her face twisted in concern. Xander sat up, his mouth ajar as he rubbed at his jaw. Blood pooled on

his lips, and I noticed that he'd bitten his tongue… hard.

He looked confused as he glanced up at Maeve, then his eyes slowly met mine.

Recognition clicked in his mind when he saw me, saw the bruise on my arm and the way I continued to hold my

neck. Tears were spilling from my eyes, my blood hammering in my ears so loudly I hadn't heard my mom and two

warriors cross the threshold of my bedroom until they were already inside.

“I hurt you," he said to me. His tone of voice absolutely shattered my heart.

I mouthed his name, but he was off the bed in an instant, stumbling toward the door. He pushed past the warriors

as Maeve turned on her heels and stalked after him, giving Mom a concerned look in passing.

Mom's arms came around me, her voice a soft lullabye in my ears.

“Are you alright?"

“No!" I cried, dissolving into tears. “What's wrong with him? Something's wrong!"