Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 130: You Have to Go After Her

*Jared*

I returned to the palace to check on Xander’s kids and make sure his Beta, Adrian, had started reconstructing the

capital, as instructed.

It wasn’t my place to check on those things, but I felt like I owed him, seeing as he had to take off so soon after we

beat back the rogue army.

“You look like my dad.” A small voice caught me off guard as I walked into the palace.

I turned and saw a young boy, about five or six, standing by the door.

“Oh, hey there, I didn’t see you. Who’s your dad?”

“The king. That makes me a prince.” He pointed to his chest.

I couldn’t help but smile. Seeing him reminded me of Eliza and my unborn child. At the same time, I was very happy

to meet my own nephew.

“What’s your name, little prince?” I asked.

“I’m Wyatt.”

“It is very nice to meet you, Prince Wyatt. I’m Jared. I do know your father.” It was a bit of a fabrication.

I hoped that when Xander and Lena returned, I might actually get the chance to build a brotherly relationship with

him.

“Why are you here?” Wyatt asked.

“Well, since your dad is traveling, I wanted to check on you and make sure everything is okay here.”

“We’re okay.” Wyatt nodded.

“Prince Wyatt, there you are!” A woman ran down the hall and grabbed his hand. “Your tutor has been looking

everywhere for you.”

Wyatt looked down, his cheeks red.

“I don’t want to study. I miss my mom and dad.”

The nanny scoffed. “You need to study while they are away. Your father insisted.”

She half dragged him down the hall, not even sparing me a glance.

I waved to Wyatt. “It was nice to meet you. Maybe I’ll see you after your studies.”

He brightened and beamed a smile, waving back to me.

Watching the sharp, shrewd nanny practically drag Wyatt away made me cringe. Was that what life was like as a

prince, growing up with nannies and tutors, constantly having to study and train?

Maybe I had been hasty in thinking that growing up in a palace was easy and luxurious.

I met up with Beta Adrian. He assured me that all efforts were being made to rebuild the capital, but I was welcome

to stay and oversee if that would make me feel better.

Xander seemed like he was a good judge of character. His Beta was more than capable.

I stayed at the palace for a few more days thinking everything over. Oddly enough, my heart hadn’t been ripped

out and stomped on when Eliza rejected me.

It hurt but she was the one that convinced me that our love never needed the matebond. It was stronger than that.

It existed before the mate bond, and without the mate bond.

I saw Wyatt a few more times around the palace but I never got to talk to him. His nannies and tutors kept him very

busy.

Poor kid–he never got to actually be a kid.

I felt sorry for him. Whenever I saw him, I thought of Eliza and our child. There was a chance that I’d never see my

own child.

If Lena didn’t make it, I doubted Eliza would come back to the Dark Realm.

But hope still glimmered in my chest. We’d survived far worse, and I knew in my heart that she’d come back to

me… when she was ready.

Every now and then, I got reports from my scouts about Hestia. It took a few days, but I finally put together the

pieces about why Eliza had really left.

I thought over everything she’d said in the car and when she was packing.

In her mind, as long as Hestia was alive, our child would never be safe in the Dark Realm. It was true. Until Hestia

was dead, our child would always have an enemy here.

Hestia had not been shy in making that clear.

Eliza was leaving to protect our child just as much as she was going to look after Lena.

If I wanted Eliza to return, it was up to me to rid this realm of Hestia once and for all.

“Jared, we got word from the Light Realm,” Archer informed me one morning.

I sat in the garden with my coffee, watching Wyatt at a fighting lesson. He was good for a boy his age.

It made me wonder if I would ever be able to teach my own son to fight.

“Eliza?” I asked perking up.

Archer sighed and shook his head. “King Xander. He sent word that Queen Lena has made a full recovery and they

will be returning soon.”

My heart sank slightly. I nodded and smiled, but it felt strained. “That is good news. Did he mention whether Eliza

was returning with them?”

“No. I’m sorry, Jared.” Archer stuffed the note in his pocket. “Do you want to wait and see if she returns with

them?”

I finished off my coffee and shook my head. “I’ve been away from the village for too long. If she comes back, she

knows where to find me.”

“Very well.”

Beta Adrian loaned us a vehicle to get back to the village quickly.

When I showed up without Eliza, there was obvious confusion.

“I don’t understand. What do you mean she’s not with you? She left with you,” Giselle said, crossing her arms.

“Eliza had to be with her family. She’ll come back.”

Giselle narrowed her eyes. She was one of the first to meet me out front, followed by Scarlett and Miriam. They all

wanted answers and hadn’t let me go inside, blocking my way on the porch.

“Why didn’t you go with her?” Giselle asked.

Scarlett crossed her arms and nodded to emphasize Giselle’s statement.

“That’s… complicated.”

Miriam sniffed. “Then uncomplicate it. Jared, you should go after her. We need her. You need her.”

“I don’t owe the three of you an explanation on this matter, but if you must know, she chose to leave without me.” I

snarled and pushed by them.

Miriam followed after me. “Jared, stop throwing a tantrum and go after Eliza.”

“I’m needed here.”

“She’s your Luna. You can’t just let her get away.”

“She made her choice. If she wants to come back, she’s more than welcome to.”

I headed up the stairs and glanced over my shoulder. Miriam stood at the base of the stairs, hands on her hips. She

narrowed her eyes at me with the look a mother gives to a disobedient child.

I shook my head and continued up the stairs. There was no way that I could explain to them what had really

happened. It didn’t matter anyway.

I’d made peace with Eliza’s decision. She wanted to be there for her family, and she wanted to keep her child safe

from Hestia.

I was the one who had failed to eliminate Hestia and keep my own mate and unborn child safe.

There was a part of me that agreed that Eliza was better off in the Light Realm until Hestia was no longer a threat.

It didn’t stop me from missing her and thinking about her.

I checked on the renovation progress and the school. It was almost done, and I couldn’t have been happier.

Eliza had really done a great job getting the plans for the school. In just a few months, there would be kids in the

school attending classes.

I walked through the village and checked on some of the refugees. Halfway up the street, I sensed I was being

followed.

I looked around and saw Giselle and Scarlett following me.

Sighing, motioned to them to join me. “What are you two doing?”

“You know, it is a really crappy thing for you to do to let Eliza go after all the time she spent saving your life,” Giselle

said.

I scoffed. “Tell me how you really feel.”

“I believe I just did.”

“What do you have to say?” I asked Scarlett.

“I think you should go after her. Women love that stuff–big, romantic gestures of devotion and love.”

“I will go after her. But there’s something I need to do first. Eliza is vulnerable as long as Hestia is around. She’s

getting weaker, and now is the time to eliminate her as a threat forever.”

“Well, that makes sense,” Giselle muttered.

Scarlett nodded in agreement.

“Can I get back to checking on my village?”

The two of them nodded and wandered off. I was glad that Eliza had such good, loyal friends in my pack. She knew

how to inspire people and get people to love her.

If she didn’t come back, it would be a big blow to Midnight Sun.

“Alpha? You’re Alpha Jared, right?”

I turned to see who was calling me.

One of the newer refugees came toward me. She was young, in her early twenties. She had a warm, friendly smile

on her face and her green eyes sparkled in the sunlight. Her clothes were a bit shabby but she wore them well, the

colors complimenting her tanned skin and soft features.

“Yes, I’m Alpha Jared. Can I help you?”

She came closer and held her hand out to shake.

“I’m Zoe. You helped me out of the capital when the rogue army was there.”

A smile tugged at my lips. “That’s right, I remember you. Are you settling in okay?”

She nodded and glanced down. Her straight, blond hair slipped over her shoulders like a curtain around her eyes.

I noticed that she touched her stomach several times. It was hard to see because she wasn’t showing that much

yet, but she was pregnant.

My heart went out to her. I could tell that she was alone here. Had she lost her mate or husband to the rogues?

“I can’t thank you enough for rescuing us. I really thought I was going to die in the capital.” Her cheeks turned a

warm red as she lifted her eyes to mine again.

She seemed timid. I couldn’t blame her for that after everything she’d been through, but deep in her eyes, I saw

determination and a strong will to survive.

“When I left the capital, King Xander’s Beta was already working on rebuilding the city. In no time, refugees will be

able to return home.”

Zoe frowned slightly. “Will we be required to leave?”

“No… I just assumed… since the city is so much different than a quiet village like this.”

Zoe winked at me. “Well, assuming is your first mistake.” She giggled lightheartedly.

I chuckled along with her.

“This quiet, simpler life is very appealing after what I went through in the capital. It’s the perfect place to settle

down and raise my baby.”

She looped her arms around herself.

I smiled and nodded. “You’re welcome to stay.” I felt sorry for her, being ripped from her home and on her own to

raise a child. There was something so sweet and soft about her.