Sold As The Alpha King’s Breeder Chapter 283


    Troy


    Three weeks had passed since we left Dianny, three weeks spent maneuvering through the shallow,


    unforgiving waters of the Southern Pass. There came a point in time where we were forced to cut the


    engines, pulling the underwater propellers back into the ship so they wouldn’t scrape against the


    seemingly endless reef that stretched for miles


    It was a slow, arduous journey, sailing with only one sail opened to the wind to ensure we had time to


    catch any dangers lurking in the shallows


    We passed a handful of shipwrecks, the rotting remains of both modern and ancient crafts sticking out


    of the shallow surf. It was an eerie ce, even with the sun beating down on us and turning the water a


    clear, vivid turquoise. It would have been a tropical paradise if not for the ghosts whispering up from the


    water, telling us to turn around


    I had been spending most of my days above deck, standing at the helm and sketching thendscape.


    There were no living maps of the southern pass Even the radar in the engine room was running blindly


    gued by constant errors. I meant to map the area, take note of every ind and curve of the distant


    shore of the Southern Jungle we were following south Pete had


    taken up residence in the engine room, proving to have a knack for the technology that both – Keaton


    and I had struggled with for years. That had been Robbie’s job


    And Keaton was taking a sabbatical, in his own words, making me interim first captain of the


    Persephone. Keaton and M had been holed up in his stateroom day in and day out, no doubt


    enjoying some peace and privacy to know and explore each other.


    But I wasn’t alone, not ever. The crew was constantly above deck, their curiosity about the unfamiliar


    landscape too strong to keep them on task. Even Duck followed me around like a shadow, not used to


    being offnd for so long. He was constantly getting his head stuck between the railing posts as he


    peered down at the water, but he did entertain the crew. They had been teaching the animal tricks and


    tossing a ball made of knotted linen back and forth across the deck,ughing as Duck jumped several


    feet in the air to try to catch it mid-flight, always missing.


    And there was Maeve, who should have been resting but couldn’t sit still for longer than a few minutes


    at a time. She was always fluttering about, bugging me with questions about the maps and sticking her


    legs through the railings as she watched the water below.


    She was restless, and the long journey was proving to be too much for her mind to handle. She was


    starting to break down a bit, racked with guilt and worrying nonstop about her parents. Despite the


    danger involved, I was regretting not finding a way to get word to her family that she was safe, that she


    woulde back to them.


    And that made me wonder if I would go with her, back to Winter Forest. Surely, I would. I was the father


    of her children, of course. Would that be enough to stop Alpha King Ethan from wringing my neck and


    hanging me from whatever fortress he lived in to make an example out of me?


    I nched at the idea of meeting her father. Her mother sounded nice, sweet, and would probably be


    more weing. But Alpha King Ethan…


    And then there was Rowan, her brother. I winced at the thought of meeting him. If he was anything like


    his sister, I was in for a world of hurt.


    But nothing was going to stop me from being with Maeve, from being a father to our children.


    From making her my wife.


    I hadn’t brought any of this up to her, of course. Our conversations had been lighthearted and easy


    since we began our journey south. We had been filling in the gaps that were left from the rushed


    beginnings of our rtionship, making up for lost time, in a way.


    I found out her favorite color was purple, and that her favorite food was rice. When I told her rice wasn’t


    necessarily a food and more of a side, she protested, happy to argue her point for nearly


    an hour. I found out she had never learned to ride a bike, that she hadn’t learned to tie her shoes until


    she was almost ten years old, and that when she was twelve, she had attempted to run away, hell-bent


    on having a sweeping, romantic adventure like she had read about in one of her frilly romance novels


    she so desperately loved. Alpha King Ethan had actually packed her a lunch and sent her on her way,


    only for her to return several hourster vexed from a badly scraped knee and her lunch stolen by


    seagulls.


    Most of all, I had confirmed what I already knew was true. Maeve was a menace. And she would likely


    harass me for the rest of my life as she had her parents and brother.


    She told me all about them. My favorite story was about a bat that she had spent the better part of four


    hours trying to catch with a fishing. She did eventually catch the poor creature and took it inside


    their house. She tripped on the stairs, and the bat got loose, hiding in Rowan’s room for several days


    before Ethan could finally flush it out.


    “Then we fought about what to do with it,” she said, rolling over in bed to look at me. “I wanted to keep


    it.”


    “Of course, you did,” I snorted, reaching out to tuck a lock of her hair behind her ear.


    “Dad said it probably had a family, a wife and children. He eventually convinced me to give it up


    and let it go.”


    And on and on she went, telling me about her childhood and her wants, dreams, and desires. But when


    it came to telling her about myself, I had very little to add. What could I possibly say about my own


    parentless, unconventional childhood? I had had the responsibilities of a man by the time I turned


    seven. I had been working on ships and smuggling goods before I could even form rational thoughts.


    By some miracle, I had the wherewithal to teach myself how to read and write. I was very good at math,


    which was how I ended up being the navigator for the Persephone and the keeper of all our financial


    records. I was handsome and a good actor, obviously. And I did, in fact,e from a royal bloodline. I


    had skills, intelligence.


    But I was not like Maeve. And the further we traveled through the pass, and the past, the further felt


    from the life I thought we had a chance of having. She was a future Queen.


    I barely even knew who I was.


    But we were here, on this insane, unfathomable adventure together. I was thankful for that. But when it


    was over?


    “And then he has to convince her brother-inw that the wedding was, in fact, legitimate.” Maeve was


    lying on her back, flipping through the pages of one of the novels I had found in Keaton’s office. He had


    a very lengthy selection of romance novels tucked away in what should have been a dusty, unused


    corner. I would use this against himter, for sure.


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    “But didn’t the wedding already take ce?”


    “Yes, but they eloped the first time, but her family believed he forced her to marry him.”


    “Oh,”


    “And, I mean, he kind of did. But now they’re in love.”


    “Sounds consensual and… romantic.”


    She swatted me with the book, then ced it gently down on the nightstand, her fingertips dancing


    along the worn cover. “More romantic than maps, that’s for sure.”


    “I read more than maps,” Iughed, rolling over to face her.


    “Oh, you’re right. Astronomy is so romantic,” she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.


    “If you think that’s romantic, you should read my copy of The History of Celestial Mechanics and


    Differential Calculus.”


    She blinked, her brow furrowing as she tried to make sense of what I just said. “Goddess, Rowan


    would love you,” she huffed, shaking her head.


    I really doubted it.


    Wey in silence for a moment, listening to the rain pattering against the window above the bed.


    “Were you ever in love?” she asked, her voice sleepy and somewhat dreamlike. I arched my brow. “I


    mean, other than me.” “No, I haven’t been,” I said honestly, watching several different emotions dance


    across her face. “Have you?


    She paused, looking past me to the wall behind my back. “No, I don’t think I have


    “You hesitated,” I teased, tucking my arm under my pillow.


    “I’ve had crushes, I guess. I told you about one of them.”


    “One of them? i couldn’t help butugh. Maeve was an absolute stunner. I was sure she was the


    beauty of Winter Forest during her time there. Of course, she had crushes, and I’m sure many a man


    was interested in her as well.


    “A few, but I didn’t ever have a boyfriend, or anything like that.” She sighed, stillying t on her


    back. She knitted her hands over her chest. “No one liked me back nearly as much as I liked them.”


    “Oh, howe?”


    “Well, my mom said I just hadn’t found my person yet, and that it was okay. But Dad said it was my


    personality-”


    Iughed, unable to stop myself. I liked the picture she was painting of Ethan. There was a chance,


    although a thin one, that he would ept me based on the single fact that I was willingly putting up


    with his daughter.


    “Whatever,” she grumbled, reaching out to swat me with her hand, but I caught her wrist, knitting my


    fingers in hers and tucking her hand on the bed with mine. She took a breath, swallowing whatever


    sassy remark she had nned. “How many girlfriends have you had?”


    “None,” I said casually.


    “Oh, I don’t believe that


    “Hard to believe, is it? Based on my good looks, charismatic personality, and unmatched intelligence


    “You’re done!” she giggled, shaking her head.


    “But seriously, no. I haven’t ever been in a rtionship with someone. Not like that.”


    to “Just… sexual, then?”


    I felt a hot blush prickling my cheeks. “I never said I was a saint,” I said, unsure of where she was


    nning on taking our conversation.


    “It doesn’t bother me, Troy. I’m more curious than anything. M and Gemma, you know…well,


    Gemma isn’t a good example because she was lying about her sexual escapades in Mirage when she


    was really sleeping with Ernest. But M definitely got around. Bragged about it, too. But I never… it


    was never an option, you know, to date. Not with who my parents are and the expectations everyone


    ces on me.”


    I let go of her hand, reaching up to run my fingers along her jaw.


    “I’m royalty. Even though my parents tried to ensure Rowan and I would be able to do things differently.


    It just… it isn’t the way of our kind. When Ernest refused to find his mate


    “I know,” I said in a whisper, seeing the look of regret pass over her face. She sniffed, shaking her


    head. No one could have predicted the chain of events set in ce when Ethan gave the title of King of


    Drogomor over to Talon, even if it wasn’t supposed to be forever.


    “But look at me now,” she said, a chokedugh escaping her throat. She snuggled deeper into her


    pillow, her eyes fixed on mine. “You know, I epted my position because I was sure I wouldn’t find my


    mate. I think the curse is why my mom agreed to it, honestly. But now l-this is fate, isn’t


    “It has to be,” I whispered as we rxed into sleep, watching as her eyelids began to flutter.