Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 138: Dark Thoughts

*Jared*

The soft, rhythmic sound of Eliza’s breathing woke me up. She was in a deep sleep, her body curled against mine.

She felt so warm and cozy against me. I tightened my arms around her for a moment, basking in her warmth and

the love I could feel radiating off of her.

I moved my hand to her stomach where our child was growing.

There was nothing I wouldn’t do to protect her and our baby.

Leaning in, I kissed Eliza’s forehead. I bent down and kissed her stomach.

She sighed and snuggled into the pillows.

Smiling, I gently pulled away from her, careful not to wake her. She needed all the rest she could get so our child

grew healthy and strong.

I went to the kitchen and started preparing a hearty breakfast. Gemma had made me promise that I would feed

Eliza well and make sure to keep her hydrated. No one, including me, wanted her to pass out again or push herself

too much anymore.

I cracked some eggs in a pan and added a few slices of bacon. While I pushed the bacon around in the pan, I kept

thinking of the future I’d described to Eliza last night.

All night, my dreams had swirled around that future. I couldn’t stop imagining what our life and family would be like.

Whenever I thought of it, my heart rate increased and a smile tugged at my lips. I’d never known how much I

wanted a family until I started to think about it. And the more I thought about it, the more I wanted a big family with

lots of kids.

Chuckling to myself, I added some home fries to the skillet.

Hopefully, Eliza would appreciate the idea of lots of kids, too.

Unfortunately, I had a feeling she wouldn’t want to grow our family any more until we were sure that Hestia was no

longer a threat.

I hadn’t gotten to talk to Xander much at the Moon Ball, but I knew that Hestia was still out there. She was the only

threat to my family and our happiness.

At the same time, I knew that with Eliza by my side, we could face anything together. We’d already beaten the odds

on that over and over again.

We’d survived curses, bad injuries, crazy storms, and of course, rejections and broken mate bonds. We survived

Aries and everything Hestia had already thrown at us.

I was confident that our love and our bond could get us through anything.

As I plated up breakfast, my ears prickled with the sounds of Eliza moving around the bedroom. I left the food in the

kitchen and headed in to check on her.

Her eyes were still closed, and I watched as she stretched and slowly opened her eyes. The moment she saw me,

she sat up straight, the blood draining from her face.

“What’s wrong?” Immediately, I went to the bed and sat beside her.

Eliza creased her brow. She took my hand and seemed too shocked to speak for a moment.

“I had a dream….”

“What kind of dream?” I asked when she didn’t continue right away.

I ran my thumb over her knuckles and caressed the back of her hand with slow, gentle circles.

“It was Hestia. She was there, promising me that we’d never be rid of her and that she’d carry on what she started

from one generation to the next if she had to.”

Eliza put her free hand on her stomach.

I shook my head and took Eliza’s hand from her stomach, holding them both.

“I’m sure it was just a dream. Eliza, I know that you’ve been worried about Hestia because of the threats against

our baby. She’s weak and can’t cause any more harm.”

I didn’t entirely believe what I was saying but I wanted Eliza to believe it. Even if it wasn’t true, we were in the Light

Realm until the baby was born. That was more than enough time for Xander and the Royal Army to track Hestia

down.

We were safe here. The light would keep her away.

“I don’t know, Jared,” Eliza bowed her head. “I’ve had dreams before that… came true.”

I arched an eyebrow. “Like what?”

“When Lena was poisoned, I had a dream that the Moon Goddess came to heal her. The very next day, My Great

Aunt Rosalie showed up with a cure. It had to have been some kind of vision, right?” she looked at me with wide,

fearful eyes. Her curly hair, a frizzy mess around her from bed-head.

Concern twisted in my stomach, but I shook my head and clasped her hands between mine.

“Not every dream you have has come true, has it?”

Eliza frowned. “No, I guess not.”

“You’ve been worried about Hestia and I know the warnings the doctor gave you have made you uneasy. I’m sure it

was just a dream based on your worries,” I assured.

Eliza nodded and sighed, sinking back into the pillows.

I didn’t want to alarm her, but I knew that Eliza had always had some kind of precognitive sense or ability with

visions. It had been her dreams that led us to the ancient city in the first place.

For now, she needed to rest. I wasn’t going to let her worry herself sick.

Hestia was being handled. She wasn’t our problem right now.

I cupped Eliza’s cheek as she got comfortable on the bed again.

“Listen to me, Eliza. Hestia is the palace’s concern right now. They are hunting her and they have more resources

than we do. They’ll find her. I’m sure of it.”

“You’re sure?” she blinked at me and bit her lower lip.

I nodded. “Absolutely. Right now, she isn’t our concern. Our only priority is to have a happy, healthy baby. That

means you should stop worrying and rest.”

I slipped my arms around Eliza and held her close in a hug. She trembled in my arms. I hugged her tighter and

kissed her cheek. When I released her, I eased her back onto the pillows.

“Rest, now,” I ordered.

Eliza nodded and closed her eyes, settling back down.

I watched her until her breathing evened out again and she was asleep once more. I kept a hand on her arm,

watching her sleep. I wanted to make sure that she slept peacefully, and she seemed comforted by my presence

and my touch.

While I watched her, I thought about Hestia again. It was possible that Eliza had some kind of vision that told us

Hestia’s plans.

I’d pass the information on to Xander when I had a chance. I also made a note to ask him whether or not Hestia

could get to us in the Light Realm. It seemed unlikely, but I wanted to be 100% sure so that I could help keep Eliza’s

fears at bay.

When I stood up, Eliza grabbed my arm. Slowly, I eased back down on the bed. I guess I would have to stay with her

until she woke up.

Fifteen minutes passed before Eliza woke up again. When she opened her eyes, she smiled. The color and

roundness had returned to her cheeks. She looked much better rested.

I smiled back. “Good morning.”

“What smells so good?” she sat up, sniffing the air.

“Oh, I made us breakfast.”

“Great, I’m starved!” Eliza pushed the covers back.

I stood up and grabbed the covers, tucking her back in. “Stay here. I’ll bring you breakfast in bed.”

Eliza smiled shyly, a warm blush touching her cheeks. My heart raced, seeing how adorable and beautiful she was

all at the same time.

The sheet was tucked around her body, but I could still see the luscious form of her round breasts underneath.

Before my mind wandered too far, I headed back downstairs to the kitchen. I warmed up our breakfast plates and

put them on a tray. Before going back upstairs, I slipped out to the back garden and picked a fresh rose. I laid the

rose across Eliza’s plate and brought breakfast to her.

I set the tray on the bed and Eliza’s eyes widened. She immediately picked up the rose and smelled it.

“Wow, this really is like our honeymoon, isn’t it?” she stuck her tongue out at me playfully.

I chuckled and pushed a glass of orange juice toward her. “Fresh squeezed, filled with vitamins for you and the

baby.”

Eliza gave me a look but she couldn’t hold back her smile, even though I saw her try.

“You’re too perfect.”

“Well, as beautiful as it is, this breakfast isn’t just for looking good. Eat up. I promised your mom that I’d make sure

you and the baby ate well.”

Eliza shook her head but she grabbed her fork.

“So, now that you have me in the Light Realm without a curse hanging over our heads, what do you want to do?”

Eliza glanced at me, her cheeks pudged out from her mouthful of egg. She swallowed hard and sighed, washing it

all down with some orange juice.

“It’s not like the Light Realm is anything new to me. What do you want to do?”

I pushed my home fries around on my plate, thinking of what most interested me in the Light Realm.

“I’m sure there are a lot of tourist sights here, but I’m thinking I want a more authentic experience. Where can you

take me to get a true Light Realm experience?”

Eliza shrugged. “That depends on what you’re looking for. There are a lot of options. In Winter Forest, there are

tons of temples and museums that show off Light Realm culture and history.”

“That sounds right up your alley,” I teased, poking my fork at her in the air.

“You seem to like history, too.”

I nodded in confirmation. “Temples and museums sound like a good way to spend the day. It sounds like a lot of

walking, though.”

“Jared, I can walk. I’m not a cripple. Besides, there are plenty of benches to sit on and cafes to stop for healthy

food.”

“That all sounds good. What else is there?”

Eliza tapped her cheek with the butt of her fork, her eyes roaming thoughtfully.

“If we want to do a bit of traveling, we could head to Valoria. It’s a ways away, but it will show you what real city life

is like.”

“Real city? Are you saying I’ve never seen a real city? I did recently spend time in the capital.”

Eliza giggled and shook her head. “That’s not a ‘real city,’ like we have in the Light Realm.”

“Since Valoria involves travel, I’m going to vote on Winter Forest for today. Once the doctor gives you the all-clear

to travel, we can visit Valoria together.”

I scooped up the dishes and headed out of the room.

“Get ready for temple and museum visiting. Please wear sensible footwear.”

I left Eliza to get ready and cleaned up the dishes in the sink. I tried not to worry about Eliza’s dream and Hestia,

but dark thoughts kept ebbing into the back of my mind.