Sold As The Alpha King’s Breeder Chapter 281


    Rosalie


    It had been three days since Ernest and Gemma had arrived in Winter Forest. To say our lives hadn’t


    beenpletely turned upside down by their appearance, and shocking revtions of what happened


    in Mirage, would be an understatement.


    On top of all of that, Gemma was pregnant with Ernest’s child. They were mates. Georgia had burst


    into tears when Ernest told her as such. Georgia had told us about her vision long ago, the same vision


    himself had seen in his youth that led him to believe he would never find his mate or have children. The


    announcement had been met with shock and joy, but mostly shock. This changed things for everyone,


    especially Maeve. If Ethan and Ernest were able to recover Mi rage, Gemma would be Luna. Their


    child would be the heir, and there was no longer a need for a breeder.


    And despite an initially warm wee, both Gemma and Ernest had been holding up in the small


    house Seraphine had built along the bluff overlooking the inlet, the door locked and the lights turned


    off.


    They had been through hell and back. Whatever trauma they’d encountered on their journey, well, they


    weren’t willing to talk to us about it yet.


    But Ernest had supplied us with something from the destruction of Mirage. He had handed arge,


    worn-out leather sketchbook to Talon and Ethan before he escorted a wary and exhaust ed Gemma to


    Seraphine’s old house. He had also given the nnel jacket Rowan and Maeve used to fight over, the


    nnel that was now confirmed to have been stolen away when Maeve left for Valoria, back to Rowan.


    Rowan had been heartbroken. It was a sign that things with Maeve were not alright.


    I was standing on the front deck, leaning on the railing and eavesdropping on the conversa tion taking


    ce between Rowan, Ethan, and Talon. They were sitting in the wicker chairs around the outdoor


    table, scratching their heads over the incredibly detailed drawings and portraits in the sketchbook


    belonging to the man named Troy. A man, ording to Ernest, who had been good. Someone even


    Ernest considered a friend.


    How can that be?


    “Wait a minute -” Talon had reached out to stop Rowan from turning a page. Talon stood, sketchbook in


    hand as he looked down at the page, holding the sketchbook at an angle to get a better view of the


    drawing in the light. “Do you know who this is, Ethan?”


    Ethan peered at the page as Talon lowered the sketchbook, his brow knitted in concentra tion. I saw a


    sh of recognition in his eyes, then his head snapped in Talon’s direction, his body nearly jumping out


    of his chair. “It’s not


    “That’s Madalynn. I’m sure of it.”


    “Who?” Rowan looked down at the page just as I started moving forward, unable to stop my


    self.


    And there she was, her facial features blurred as if drawn from some distant, forgotten memory or


    someone else’s description. Her face shape was spot on, her hair an identical shade of brown that I


    remembered vividly. I felt sick to my stomach suddenly, having to turn away be fore I met Ethan’s eyes.


    I hadn’t thought about Madalynn in years.


    The sudden, painful realization of the reasoning for her sudden appearance swept over me as I slowly


    turned back to Ethan, who was looking right at me. “Her child?” I asked in a barely au dible whisper.


    “It was a boy. That’s all I know.” Ethan swallowed hard, looking down at the page once more before


    turning his head to look over the railing, his eyes lost in thought.


    There was a time I wished for nothing more than Madalynn’s slow, painful death. But some thing had


    changed in me when I had Rowan, something only a mother can truly feel. When we found out about


    Madalynn’s pregnancy before she was put in prison, I was torn to shreds with guilt and sadness.


    I told Ethan to never tell me what happened to Madalynn and her child, and he never did.


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    Not until today.


    “Madalynn is dead, Rosalie. Her child was safe.” Ethan crossed his arms over his chest.


    “What happened to him?” I asked, my voice tight with emotion.


    “I don’t rightfully know. Only that he was given to someone for safekeeping,” he said.


    “Not to Behar?” | asked, my stomach beginning to turn as I looked down at the painting of Madalynn on


    the table between us.


    “It could have been, but Behar allegedly died in the war; at least that was what Madalynn had told


    everyone. The boy would’ve been orphaned fully if that was true. Who knows where he end ed up,”


    said Talon.


    “Well, he ended up in Valoria,” Rowan said, his voice cutting through the air as he turned the pages of


    the notebook and settled his gaze on the open page. We all looked down, and a somber silence


    paused our conversation.


    It was Maeve, drawn with such talent that I felt like I was looking at a photograph of her. She was


    smiling,ughing, her eyes shining on the page.


    It had been drawn with great care.


    With love.


    I reached up to wipe my eyes, turning away from the group as I walked a few paces away.


    “Is this man…” came Talon’s voice behind me.


    “It’s probable this man is Madalynn and Behar’s son, yes.” Ethan’s voice was steady, as though the


    idea of our daughter in the hands of a man sharing the same blood as the very wom an who had


    caused so much grief and chaos was nothing to scoff at.


    “Ernest said he was a good man, a friend” Rowan cut in, but was swiftly hushed by Talon.


    “Ernest also said Troy was masquerading as Maeve’s breeder to get close to Romero on Damian’s


    orders,” Ethan said, running his tongue along his bottom lip as he spoke.


    “Whoever he is–”Talon tried to say.


    “Will you listen to me?!” Rowan eximed, standing from his seat and leaning over the table to snatch


    the sketchbook out of Ethan’s hands. Ethan looked shocked, anger beginning to bub ble behind his


    eyes.


    “Rowan-“| began.


    “What good woulde out of chasing this man?” Rowan looked from Ethan to Talon, eyes ming


    simr to Ethan’s. “Ernest believed this Troy guy. He really did. Ernest said Troy was the one who


    warned them Poldesse was invading. He said Troy was the one who got Maeve out of the castle-”


    “Ernest told us a lot of other things too, Rowan!” Ethan snapped, his patience waning.


    Suddenly, the three men were shouting, talking over each other so rapidly that I couldn’t make out the


    rest of the conversation. I bit the inside of my cheek, shaking my head as I watched them, their voices


    med by hurt and confusion.


    Everyone but Maeve was home and safe. We finally knew the details about what had hap pened in


    Mirage.


    Everyone was so caught up in the fact that a strange, unfamiliar man was likely with Maeve, even


    though Ernest had exined the situation in length.


    And no one seemed to care about what he had said happened to Gemma and Ernest that night, and


    the weeks that followed. No one but me.


    Ernest thought Gemma had died. In fact, he was sure of it. He had stayed with her body in a clearing


    just outside of the castle grounds until dawn broke and the sky filled with an angry red, post-war


    sunrise. He left her lifeless body and returned to the castle, ready to meet his death, and found it totally


    andpletely empty.


    Not one single wolf remained inside the fortress. Even Romero’s body had been removed from the


    tower. Ernest walked along the blood-stained hallways until he reached the spot where Gemma had


    been so violently attacked by Damian’s wolves, just outside of Maeve’s bedroom.


    The doors had been kicked in, revealing nothing but destruction as Ernest entered the rooms. He had


    found the sketchbook and the nnel during his time there, then left the castle as quickly as he had


    come, not seeing or hearing another person or wolf the entire time.


    But when he returned to the clearing, he found Gemma sitting up. She had turned to look at him,


    blinking into the sun as she asked what had happened, and where she was. He had fallen to his knees,


    thinking she was a ghost, a figment of imagination. Or better yet, he was dead, and his suffering had


    ended.


    But she came to him, touching him on the shoulder.


    And after that they hid, Ernest surveying the castle for several days. People began toe and go,


    soon taking up residence. He recognized the Luna of Greenbriar and several other no bles he had


    once thought of as allies.


    But never Damian.


    Ernest knew he had to leave Mirage. He needed to get Gemma to safety. And that meant getting her


    home to Winter Forest.


    5


    Talon had listened to this story with a nk expression, his mouth asionally twitching as Ernest


    recounted the more gory and sinister parts. Georgia had been too upset to even listen with her full


    attention, her eyes narrowing on Talon as she mouthed something to the effect of, “I told you he was


    too young to do this on his own.”


    And Rowan had red at Ernest, his gaze shifting between him and Gemma with a look of marked


    disapproval as he nced down at Gemma’s hands resting on top of the swell of her belly.


    The path forward seemed clear, at least to me. Damian was who we needed to be worried about.


    Ernest had told us about Romero and the map. I had listened in terror at the sinister ns Romero had


    laid out regarding Maeve.


    The same ns Damian meant to continue.


    “Maeve is safe with Troy,” I said as loudly as possible, my voice cutting through the argu ment taking


    ce between Ethan, Talon, and Rowan. I looked at Ethan, willing him to agree, to understand.


    “Damian is who you want.”


    Ethan flexed his jaw, reaching up to scratch his beard in contemtion.


    “And keep it down,” I said coolly. “Gretchen is inside preparing dinner for our family gathering tonight.”


    “Oh, right.” Rowan sat back down, looking somewhat defeated.


    “Get. Along.” I bit out, losing my patience as I watched Ethan’s gaze move toward Rowan, then snap


    back as I spoke. “Maeve is fine. She wille home. But now, if you go out and rile our allies up about


    a man who is the least of our worries… Troy is not a threat.” My voice was shaking as I said it. I


    couldn’t help it. I would lose my death grip on my sanity if Ethan even showed the slightest anxiety


    about Maeve being in thepany of Madalynn’s son. I needed to believe Maeve was safe. I


    desperately needed to believe that whoever this man was, he was protecting


    her.


    Because Maeve was too far away for me to protect her.


    I wouldn’t even know where to look.


    I turned away from them and walked back into the house, taking a deep breath and wiping hot tears


    from my eyes as I closed the door behind me. I shook out my shoulders and arms, re gaining my


    composure as I walked through the hallway toward the kitchen, forcing a smile on my face.