Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 84 : Glowing

*Jared*

We boarded the plane and I stopped dead, staring down the narrow tube that was supposed to fly us tens of

thousands of feet in the air.

“What's wrong?" Eliza asked, turning to me.

“This… is very small."

Eliza shook her head and grabbed my hand. “Come on, it is perfectly safe."

She pulled me to our seats. Like an expert, she sat down and fastened her seatbelt.

I mimicked her. When the plane jolted, I grabbed the armrests and pressed myself into the back of the seat.

“Jared, we're not taking off yet. They'll make a big announcement, it is fine," she assured, taking my hand again and

holding it in her lap.

She relaxed in her seat and closed her eyes.

Glancing around the plane, I noticed that everyone else was getting settled into their seats and they didn't seem at

all concerned.

Sweat practically poured down the back of my neck. I breathed in and out repeatedly and looked around at the tiny

tube that was somehow an acceptable form of transportation.

When everyone was on the plane, the announcement for takeoff was made.

The engines roared to life and the entire plane vibrated.

“And you've done this before?" I asked, leaning toward Eliza.

She smiled and nodded. “Yes. I promise, nothing will happen."

She squeezed my hand comfortingly.

I nodded but I wasn't entirely convinced. It was such an odd contraption. Sure, it beat walking all the way there, but

my mind raced with all the things that could go wrong from a narrow, metal tube hurtling through the sky tens of

thousands of feet above land.

I clenched my fists as the plane raced down the runway, squeezing Eliza's fingers. If it hurt her, she didn't show it.

My jaw tensed and I ground my teeth together, getting sucked back into the seat as the plane went faster and

faster.

Suddenly, my stomach leapt into my throat and I felt like I was floating. I glanced out the window and saw that we

weren't on the ground anymore. The plane was in the air, angled upward, and ascending quickly!

I looked over at Eliza and she was completely unconcerned.

Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to relax and try to enjoy this flight.

Eliza was humming the song from the locket. I looked over at her and saw her fiddling with the necklace.

She was doing that more and more, it seemed. Like the locket was somehow a reminder of what we needed to do.

There was something different about her. From the moment we stepped off the boat, I'd noticed it. She was lighter,

happier, more relaxed.

Sitting on the plane, a piece of technology she'd been exposed to as a child, it seemed like it was an everyday

activity.

There was nothing like planes in the Dark Realm. It was wild and far less luxurious.

Eliza had never looked so at peace in the Dark Realm. She was always on the go, tenacious, and pushing forward.

Was that because she was on edge?

Sighing, I looked around the plane and the wonder of technology that it was.

How could I expect her to give up the luxury and ease of life in the Realm of Light and come back to the Dark

Realm with me?

If we broke this damned curse, I couldn't ask her to give up this technology and luxury. I couldn't ask her to give up

the light.

Eliza kept her eyes closed, humming the song to herself softly. I could only hear the song in her voice now. and that

didn't bother me.

She was so relaxed that she was practically glowing. The light behind her from the plane window gave her a

beautiful halo, framing her curls and her soft features.

I wanted to see her glow like that, always!

I wanted to see her glow like that, always!

When the plane landed, Eliza and I got our bearings in the airport.

She rubbed her stomach.

“Is something wrong?" I asked, touching her shoulder.

“I'm hungry. We didn't even have breakfast and then we did all that traveling," she groaned.

“Alright, let's get something to eat." I looked around the airport for a possible place to eat.

“Actually, I'm pretty tired, too. And my back is a little sore from the plane ride. Maybe we should get a hotel first

and find food there," Eliza suggested.

“Sure. Then we can put our bags down, too."

Just outside the airport, there were several large hotels. Right away, I noticed they were all a lot nicer than any

place we'd stayed in the Dark Realm.

Eliza went right to one of the hotels, apparently familiar with it. She booked us a room and we dropped our bags off.

There was a garden restaurant in the hotel, so we grabbed some lunch and sat out in the garden.

There was a lot to get used to in the Realm of Light, but it definitely agreed with Eliza. She just kept smiling and

glowing.

“I have Theo and Ciana's contact information. I'm going to give them a call and schedule a meeting." She pulled her

phone out.

“Alright. What are you going to tell them?"

“Just that we are looking for Mila. Do you want me to tell them who you are?"

I tapped my finger on the table top and I looked into Eliza's sweet, imploring eyes. I knew she'd do whatever I asked

of her out of respect.

“Maybe not. I'd rather meet them first. I don't want them to think that I'm after something from the family."

Eliza nodded and made the call.

I hadn't really thought about how I was meeting my own aunt and uncle soon. Family had always been a murky

subject for me.

It was hard enough to admit that I had an extended family, let alone that I'd be meeting them soon.

“Hey, Ciana, it's Eliza," I heard Eliza say into the phone. “Yeah, yeah, it is good to talk to you, too. I was wondering if

you and Theo had some time to meet with me and a friend."

There was a pause as she listened to Ciana on the other line.

“Lunch. That sounds great. You'll be meeting with me and my friend Jared. Just let me know where you want to

meet. We can get to any convenient restaurant."

Eliza hung up the phone and grinned at me.

“So, the plan is in motion," I said.

“Yes. Are you ready to meet your aunt and uncle?"

I smiled and nodded but my smile felt tight and strained. Eliza didn't seem to notice because our food was brought

to us at that moment.

As much as I wanted to meet my family, it still made me uneasy. Once Theo and Ciana found out who I was, they

might think I was trying to extort something from the royal family, like money, power, or status.

Royal families were complicated enough without estranged relatives showing up.

What if they rejected me? What if they didn't like me?

It was all too much? I hadn't felt this insecure about anything since I was a pup!

I took off my shirt and pants, wearing just boxers, and slipped into bed. It was late and we'd traveled all day. Eliza

and I needed to rest in order to get ready for this family reunion.

“Eliza, what are you doing in there?" I called to her.

She'd been in the bathroom for a long time.

Eliza appeared in the doorway. She looked a little pale, her legs shaking.

“Are you okay!?" I jumped out of the bed.

“Umm… I'm not feeling all that well," she admitted, touching her stomach.

I looped my arm around her back and helped her to the bed. “Come on, lie down. Did you get sick?"

I helped her into the bed.

“Yeah… I think I just overexerted myself today."

I pulled the covers up around Eliza and tucked her in.

“Get some rest. I'll have something brought up for your stomach."

She nodded and leaned back into the pillows.

I called down to room service and had them bring up some chicken noodle soup for Eliza.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, I spoon fed her the soup.

“I'm feeling a lot better. You don't need to take care of me like this." She smiled weakly.

“Finish the soup. It is obviously helping your uneasy stomach," I said, putting another spoonful in her mouth.

She swallowed and nodded.

Taking care of her also helped keep my mind off of the meeting with Theo and Ciana.

“Okay, Jared, I'm totally full. I can't eat another bite," Eliza argued, putting her hands up and pushing at the air

toward me.

Chuckling, I set the nearly empty bowl aside. Turning back to her, I put my hands on either side of Eliza and leaned

in slightly, holding her eyes with mine.

Even when she wasn't feeling well, she looked absolutely beautiful, with the way her wild hair bobbed around her

face and the glow that still lingered around her.

“I don't understand…" I whispered.

Eliza creased her brow. “Understand what?"

“How you could leave the Light Realm for the Dark Realm."

“It wasn't that hard. The pathway between the realms is pretty easy to navigate." She grinned at me, completely

aware that she was taking my meaning too literally.

I smirked and shook my head at her. “I meant… how could you leave a realm with so much luxury and comfort in

order to live in the dirt of the Dark Realm?"

Eliza's brow furrowed more and she sighed. “Well, that's an easy answer. I mean, the luxury is nice. It makes life

easier and comfortable but…"

“But what?" I pressed when she didn't answer right away.

“Even though I don't have my wolf, I really liked being able to live wildly in the Dark Realm."

Chuckling, I grabbed one of her wayward curls and tugged it, making it bounce like a spring.

“Wild like your hair?" I teased.

Eliza smiled brightly and nodded. “Exactly."

“Maybe this is selfish of me, but I am glad you have a selfish streak," I murmured, pressing my forehead to hers.

Eliza giggled and then sighed. I pulled back slightly and looked into her face. She had a very subtle frown on her

lips.

“No matter what my family might think or want, I know that I'll never be anything like White Queen Lena."

“Well, I've never had an issue with that," I said, kissing her forehead.

I'd always enjoyed Eliza's wild streak. Though, I got the sense that her family didn't appreciate it as much as I did. I

wondered if that was one of the reasons she left the Light Realm in the first place, and why we were so drawn

together.

“A lot of the time, I feel more like my dark cousins… so to speak," she said, smiling.