Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

Chapter 21 :1 Need to Tell You Something

*Lena*

He was waiting for me at the train depot, leaning against the farm truck with his aim crossed over his

chest. I fought against the smile threatening to stretch across my face as I walked down the steps off

the platform, my duffle bag hanging over one shoulder. He eyed me. looking me up and down.

‘’Hey." he said, his voice void of expression.

My heart sank as I gave him a tight-lipped smile and crossed in front of him to climb into the passenger

side of the truck.

I'd be gone for just over a week.

I hadn't been able to get him out of my mind.

What did I expect him to do, really? Had I wanted him to run to me. to pick me up and swing me in a

circle like something out of a romance ? Had I wanted him to admit he'd been pining for me, to try

to convince me everything I thought about our brief, but passionate, liaison had been something much

more serious?

I was the problem. I know that much. I had no right to expect anything from him.

‘’I need to talk to you about something," he said as he put the truck in drive.

It was dark out, the little town of Crimson Creek speckled with yellow light as we drove toward the

forest. I looked out my window as we crossed the bridge, seeing Radcliffe Manor rising in the distance

atop its hill, peeking out over the trees.

“About what?"

“I got the sample we were talking about," he said casually, glancing over at me before focusing his eyes

back on the road. "I'm not sure what I'm looking at, honestly."

"You made a slide?"

"Of course."

"I..." I wavered, shifting my weight in the passenger seat as we continued along the narrow road

through the unforgivingly dark woods just inside the boundary of the estate. I looked at him. searching

his face for a moment before I told him about the book I had found out about in the library.

"So, you're saying Carly knew about blood root?"

"I'm saying she knew about it and went back to Morhan to try to find out more information about it. I

saw the date on the file, the date she checked out the book: it was only a week before she went

missing. She had to get administrative approval in order to even check it out."

Xander exhaled, his nostrils flaring as he considered what I was telling him.

"Morhan didn't mention any of this in the file they gave us," I urged, with an emphasis on "any."

Xander abruptly stopped the truck, shifting it into park. He cut the headlights, and in an instant, we

were blanketed in total darkness.

"Lena. I think we need to let this go. We have another three weeks here. We need to just focus, and get

through it-"

"Why would Morhan send us here knowing what happened to Carly? Does that not seem strange to

you?"

"Of course, it does," he said hotly, gripping the steering wheel. "It doesn't matter, though. You were the

one who wanted to focus on our studies. This field study meant the world to you."

“This wasn't where I was supposed to be!" I said sharply. I could barely see him, but he turned to face

me. his eyes reflecting in the faint moonlight peeking througli the clouds.

"Like I said, we only have three weeks-"

"Morhan is trying to cover something up, Xander-the university that we attend."

He turned to face me fully, leaning in.

"That's why we shouldn’t push it, Lena! Listen to me-" he grabbed my shoulders, shaking me a little.

"We're not going to get the answers we want. This isn't about us. We came here to do one thing-"

"We were sent here to investigate why the crops on this estate are dying off, Xander. It's the blood root.

The blood root is doing it. But it also healed you, remember? It's obvious Henry knows what's going on,

but he refuses to say anything. He wants us both off the property. Something is going on here, and

Morhan University is involved!"

"Then we should leave. Right now." He turned the headlights on and shifted the track into reverse. I

grabbed his arm, squeezing it.

"Stop!"

"Do you parents know you're out here. Lena? Have you told them what's going on?"

I paled then released his arm. We'd never spoken to each other about our families or life outside of

school.

"They know I'm here."

"Do they know someone was murdered on this property?"

I swallowed, shaking my head.

"I'm an adult, Xander. This is up to me-"

"Then tread water with me. Lena, for Goddess sake. I got you the blood root sample. We can test it

against the other samples you've collected. We pretend everything is fine: we stay out of the way. We

leave. That's it."

"And then what?" I asked.

He paused before shifting the truck into drive. “What about? Our field study-or us?"

Us. I felt my heart tighten around the word. I wasn't sure what to say. I wanted him. I was, maybe, even

starting to fall for him. But did we have a future together? It was unlikely.

A silence fell between us as he shifted the truck into drive. We drove out of the woods and down the

narrow road that cut througli fields of grain. The cottages came into view, and I noticed smoke coming

from the chimney of our cabin in particular. My heart squeezed again as I realized he'd built a fire for

us, one step ahead of the chill that was settling into my bones.

He grabbed my duffle bag out of the bed of the truck while I walked a few steps behind him into the

cottage. It was perfectly warm, and I noticed a few changes right away. I'd only been gone for a week,

but Xander had pinned several of his notes and charts to the wall in the kitchenette.

"I've been hanging out in here more often than not," he said, setting my duffle bag down on the truck

that still sat in the living room. "I was worried Radcliffe would take apart the lab, so I moved our files

and notes in here." He waved his hand around, motioning toward the stanks of notes and books on the

counter in the kitchenette.

I walked toward the bedroom, grabbing my duffle bag on the way in. I closed the door behind me and

flipped on the light, staring down at the sleeping bags on the bed.

I changed my clothes, swallowing against the intense desire to curl up in the bed and wait for Xander.

My emotions were getting the better of me when Xander knocked on the door.

He stepped inside, his hand on the doorknob. "Are you okay? I made some tea."

"Yeah. I am. It’s a long trip." I'd pulled on a comfy sweatshirt and matching pair of sweatpants before

Xander had come in, and I smoothed them down as I followed him back out into the living room. He sat

on his usual spot on the trunk. I sat in the armchair, and for a split second, I had a vision of the two of

us as elderly people, sitting side by side in high-backed chairs, holding hands as we read books.

I blinked, shaking my head, but wasn't able to stifle the blush that was creeping over my cheeks. I lifted

my eyes toward Xander, who was watching me, an odd look on his face.

"Why are you blushing?" he asked, lifting his mug to his lips. He was dressed in his signature gray

sweatpants and a thick black sweatshirt that said "Morhan Varsity Wrestling" on the chest.

I wanted to be honest with him about everything. This would be so much easier if I could. Instead, I

said the first thing that came to mind.

"I saw Slate when I was in Morhan. I hit him in the head with a shampoo bottle."

Xander arched his brow.

"Why a shampoo bottle?"

I proceeded to tell him about the encounter, to which he smiled softly and occasionally chuckled.

Eventually. I told him about my failed attempt to research bloot root and then Abigail's new field study

location.

"How do you feel about the fact that she's going to the royal wedding?"

"She's not going, so to speak. She's there to do all the floral arrangements and decorations."

"You didn't answer my question," he said, looking over the lip of his mug of tea.

I wanted to say I was weeks away from losing one of my closest and dearest friends and was in

emotional tunnoil over it. and there was nothing I could do about it, but I just shrugged.

"I'm happy for her. She wanted to go to the wedding. Maybe she'll meet one of the princes and fall in

love."

"How do you think they'd like her?" he asked.

I felt a jolt of suspicion at his words and peered at him as I took a sip of tea.

"I wouldn't know."

"Right," he breathed, settling back against the trunk.

A moment of awkward silence passed between us. He rose, setting his mug on the counter, and then

began to stoke the fire until it was blazing.

"There's a cold front coming in. It's supposed to storm. Bethany said snow isn't too uncommon this time

of year. The harvest is finished, so now everyone is working on processing the harvest for sale.

Everyone who isn't a year-round worker is going home around the same time we're supposed to go to

Morhan."

"Who’s full-time?" I asked.

"Bethany. Henry, and a handful of others-that's all I know. Jen... hasn't come back," he said softly,

watching me out of the comer of his eyes.

"That's probably a good thing, right? Unless you miss her-"

"Why are you like this, Lena?"

I blushed again. I hadn't meant to say it out loud.

"I'm sorry-"

He shook his head, giving me one last, intense stare before he turned and went into the bathroom. I sat

and waited as he readied for bed. But after a few minutes, he came out of the bathroom, sighing deeply

as he crossed his amis over his chest.

"What do you want this to be between us, Lena?"

I opened my mouth to speak but was at a loss for words.

He took a step forward, effectively closing the distance between us.

He reached down to me, tucking a lock of my hair behind my ear. I looked up at him. my head telling

me no. but my heart telling me yes.

"I need to tell you something," I whispered.