Sold As The Alpha King’s Breeder Chapter 314


    Chapter 94 : I Kissed Her


    Rowan


    “It wasn’t easy,” said the metalsmith as he wiped his grimy hands on a rag. He spun around in his car,


    plopping a small, smooth ring in the palm of my hand. “You were right about the stone; it was jade-a


    sizable, practically wless hunk of it. Say, where did you find it?”


    “On the beach,” I said softly, turning the ring over in my hand.


    The entire thing was made of jade, carved right out of the stone Hanna had found on our walk on the


    beach several weeks before the snow had begun to fall. That was months ago, I thought, wrapping my


    fingers around the ring. Things had some how felt easier then.


    “There’s enough of the mother-stone left for a second ring, at least partially. Half would need to be


    metal of some kind, I rec ommend tinum. It’s what I used to give the first ring support, you see.”


    “It’s… it’s fine. It’s just a gift.”


    A parting gift.


    Something I had nned on giving to Hanna under very different circumstances. I had carried that


    damn rock around in my jacket since the day she found it, marveling at the pale sea–green band of


    jade running through it whenever I had a moment of solitude to fish it out of its resting ce.


    I had imagined making a ring with it, one of pure jade, think ing the color would look perfect against the


    paleness of her skin. I


    had imagined slipping it onto her finger and taking her hand in mine, as my wife.


    I swallowed back the pain and paid the metalsmith, thanking him for his time. The ring felt heavy in my


    hand as I walked through the center of the vige, crossing the road leading up to my house and


    through the woods toward Hanna’s cabin.


    It had been a week since Maeve and my parents left for Mirage. Two days ago, a pilot from Mirage had


    arrived in a Cessna 210,rge enough to fit six passengers. He hade bearing news of Maeve, but


    we didn’t have much time to grieve her experience. She was fine, as were my three nephews, but the


    large seane that had been carting my family back and forth to Mi rage for decades had crashnded


    and needed repairs.


    We had all been summoned to Mirage. And I knew in my absence, Hanna would likely go back to Red


    Lakes as nned.


    I wanted to ask her toe with me. I was ready to beg. But I knew it would be fruitless.


    Any future I had with her seemed to evaporate the second she told Maeve and me what she had seen


    in her vision of Maeve’ s future. Maeve and Troy had been discussing what sounded like a session


    of sorts, facilitated by my dad. My interpretation of the dream was that one of their sons was ascending


    a throne, which couldn’t have been Troy’s soon-to-be – title of Alpha of Poldesse. That left only two


    options: Alpha King of Valoria, or Al pha of Drogomor.


    Which were the titles I was meant to inherit.


    Which could only mean that I would have no children to pass them on to.


    1 The only shred of hope I had was that Hanna had been Wrong about only two of the triplets surviving.


    The entire vision


    could’ve been wrong, but what did it matter? Hanna was leaving. There was nothing I could do about it.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    And I couldn’t carry the hunk of jade in my pocket any longer.


    | barely noticed how far I had walked, lost in thought, until i was standing at the bottom of the steps


    leading into her cabin.


    She must have heard meing because no sooner had i put my foot on the first step did she open


    the door, her ck hair hanging loose over her shoulder and a plush bathrobe covering her nnel


    pajamas.


    It waste afternoon, the sky an inky purple dappled with stars. I needed to be at the seldom used and


    grossly neglectednding strip outside of the vige in the next hour.


    This was it. This was goodbye.


    “I meant to shovel the stairs for you again, but 1-” | started, motioning toward the three or so inches of


    fresh snow nketing the stairs.


    Hanna leaned on the doorway, her eyes shining in the porch light. “It’s okay, Rowan. Pete can do it.


    You’ve… it’s been a rough week.”


    “Yeah, it has been.” The ring was burning a hole through the palm of my hand. I wanted nothing more


    than to toss it to her without a word and run then try to continue to stifle the heavy, overwhelming


    heartbreak. I understood her reasonings for want ing-no, needing to leave. But I would never


    understand why she felt like I wasn’t strong enough to protect her, and my family, from whatever was


    coming.


    “Kacidra said you’re leaving soon.”


    “I am. Now, actually. I have to… I wanted to give you some


    thing before I went. In case you weren’t… weren’t here when I re turned.” I climbed a single step,


    unsure if my feet would let me go any further. The truth was, I likely wouldn’t be returning to Winter


    Forest for a long time. Dad had called a major conference in Mi rage, and all of the Alphas would be


    required to attend.


    I would be made Alpha of Drogomor, officially. And I would set up residency in the castle immediately.


    I looked up at Hanna, holding out my hand. I ced the ring in her open palm, wrapping my hand


    around hers.


    “I had it made from the piece of Jade you found on the beach. I thought… I want you to have it, despite


    everything. I couldn’t leave without knowing you had it. I don’t expect you to wear it. I don’t expect… I


    don’t expect anything. I respect you, Hanna. I respect you as much as I love you… and Goddess, I love


    you. I just needed you to know that.”


    I took my hand from hers, looking into her eyes for a split sec ond before I turned and walked away,


    letting the dark of our early nights wrap itself around me.


    Ernest lifted George into the snug cabin of my Cessna 180, which looked like a toypared to the


    glossy two-prop Cessna 210 that was idling only ten yards away on the ice-covered river. He handed


    George to Gemma, who immediately started fussing over the white snowsuit George was wearing,


    which made him look like a marshmallow.


    His ck curls were sticking out of the bright purple wool hat Gretchen had knit for him, and he was


    staring forward at the dashboard of the ne, mesmerized by the lit-up switches and gauges.


    “Do you have his nket?” Gemma asked, her voice distorted by the sound of the engine.


    Ernest handed her the fluffy nket in question, then stepped into the ne to drape a heavy wool


    nket over his mate and their child, tucking the nket around Gemma’s hips.


    “Here,” I said, reaching back to hand Ernest a headset, which he put over Gemma’s hat, securing the


    headset over Gemma’s ears. I reached down to the controls and switched on her mic.


    Ernest tucked a duffle bag next to Gemma, then grabbed the front passenger seat, which had been


    folded forward to allow Gemma to climb into her seat, and put it back into position. He climbed in next


    to me, closing the door and buckling his seatbelt.


    “Do you know how to fly this thing?” he joked with a wide smile, securing his own headset over his


    ears.


    I reluctantly switched on his mic, and hisugh boomed in my headset.


    “No barrel rolls, Rowan,” Gemma said sternly, looking a little pale as she sat behind us with George in


    herp.


    “Not until Georgie is six months old,” Iughed, which elicited a steely re from Gemma. “We’re just


    waiting on the other ne to taxi. Shouldn’t be long.”


    Talon had taught me how to fly. He was a shitty pilot, howev er, and Mom and Dad had allowed me to


    take actual lessons from someone in Winter Forest when I turned eighteen. I turned my gaze to the


    other ne, watching as Georgia and Vicky settled all three of my young cousins into their seats.


    Talon was, of course, sitting in the co-pilot seat. If the pilot was smart, he would cut Talon’s mic.


    Otherwise, Talon would be


    directing him on how to fly the ne for the entire flight.


    I smiled a bit at the thought then turned back to the dash board of my own tiny vessel. It had only two


    rows of seats, big enough to carry four adults at the most. It also didn’t have heat, so we were all


    bundled up in parkas and heavy gloves. George seemed fine with the arrangement, and within


    minutes, the heavy vibration in the cabin had lulled him into a deep sleep.


    “How long is the flight in this thing?” Gemma’s voice cut through my headset, and I turned to look at


    her, adjusting my mic over my mouth.


    “Roughly four hours, but we’re going with the wind, not against it. We’rending on the strip near the


    castle so that cuts our trip short.” And that was the truth. The seane could fit our entire family in


    comfort but needed to bended at the port or theke, which were both far from Mirage. Small


    Cessnas couldnd on the practically forgotten airstrips with rtive ease, but it was a lessfortable


    ride.


    “I’ll never forgive you if you crash!” Gemma red forward and swallowed hard, obviously nervous.


    “I promise I will try tond this hunk of rust in one piece, by at least the second attempt!”


    “Rowan! Stop messing with me!”


    Ernest wasughing despite his mate’s turmoil. I reached down and shut off her mic to thwart any


    further attacks on my pi loting abilities.


    “Howe you didn’t just take this thing down to Mirage when you stopped hearing from me and


    Maeve?” Ernest asked, resting his head against the headrest.


    | pursed my lips, tapping my fingers on the yoke, which is what was used to steer the ne.


    “The water on the inlet is too rough for a ne of the size. I can’t fight the tide with it. It’s better to take


    off on the ice, with wheels instead of floats. I’d love to take this thing out in the sum mer, but Dad thinks


    I’m going to die in this one day, so he refuses to build an actual airstrip.”


    “Well, you’re about to be Alpha of Drogomor. You can build as many airstrips in Mirage as you


    like.”


    | smiled to myself, thankful things between Ernest and I weren’t at all awkward, even though I was


    taking the title he had recently given up.


    Ernest and I hadn’t ever gotten along very well. He was closer to Maeve’s age, and we hadn’t had


    much inmon as kids. But he was very much changed now, I realized. Gemma had gotten to him,


    smoothing his rough edges.


    We also now had Troy inmon, who seemed to be pulling everyone togethertely, his friendship


    almost as maic as his personality, despite the fact that he had kidnapped my sister.


    “Well, I gotta build those radio towers first.”


    I wasn’t sure if he’d heard me. He had turned to Gemma, holding his headset off one ear as she


    comined about the fact Thad turned off her mic.


    This was going to be a long flight.


    The pilot of the other ne came over my headset, telling me he was about to taxi out. There were


    several warriors on the ice holding shlights to help guide us along. I watched them spread


    out, moving out of the way as therger ne powered forward.


    I caught movement out of my peripheral and turned my head just as the first ne took off. I had my


    hand on the yoke, sec onds away from taking off.


    Hanna. She was talking to a warrior, pointing to my ne.


    The jade ring was on her finger.


    I opened the door of the ne, fighting against my seatbelt and cursing audibly as I fumbled with the


    sp. Ernest reached over and freed me, giving me a look and nodding, a whisper of a smile touching


    his lips.


    slipped on the ice, twice, as I made my way to Hanna. I was breathless and ruffled when I finally closed


    the distance between us. I stopped short of her, apprehension sweeping over me. Why was she here, if


    not for me?


    “Is there room for one more in that tiny ne?” she asked, her mouth widening into a brilliant smile


    Then I kissed her.