Sold As The Alpha King’s Breeder Chapter 510
Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder Chapter 510
Chapter 12: A Trip to the Vige
Lena*
It’d been three days since the attack, or murder, whatever it was being called. The Alpha of Crimson
Creek had sent warriors to investigate. They’d taken away the body, swept the perimeter of the
Radcliffe Estate… but that was it. No one said much about it, in fact, after a full day had passed. The
only person who had given US any useful information had been Henry.
But Henry was a man of few words, and he didn’t specte. He’d told me what I already knew from
Abigail-that Carly Maddox had been a Morhan student whose field study was situated in the vige of
Crimson Creek. ording to a single witness, she had just walked out one day, leaving the shabby
townhouse she shared with four other students and walked into the night, never to be seen again.
But the fact that she was, in fact, never seen again, was what was most interesting about what Henry
had to say. He told Xander and me that several young women had been killed over the past five years,
but they had always been found not far from where the attack happened.
“So we’re dealing with a serial killer,” I said, pacing in front of the makeshiftb Xander had erected in
the warehouse. He was bent at the waist, peering into a microscope as he examined a slide with the
sample of ckened, rotted valerian root I had harvested earlier in the morning.
“We’re not dealing with anything, Lena,’ he protested gruffly, furrowing his brow in my direction as he
straightened to his full height. “We’re here for school. That’s it-”
“But don’t you want to know, Xander? Something weird is happening here!”
“It’s none of our business-”
“One of the workers was attacked and killed!”
“Lena,” he breathed, taking his gloves off and tossing them in a wastebasket. “Leave it alone.”
I rolled my eyes and stalked away from him, ncing over my shoulder before I left the warehouse. He
was writing on a clipboard, totally uninteresting in discussing what I believed to be a huge deal.
But I knew it was bothering him. I’d gotten my original wish. We were no longer sharing a bed because
he’d taken to sitting in the armchair, facing the door, with an iron skillet in hisp every night in the
event he needed to protect US from whatever was lurking outside.
We hadn’t said a word about what had happened between US, either, for which I was grateful.
I’d been overwhelmed and blinded by a heavy haze of lust, ready to lose my virginity to a man I neither
knew well nor liked very much, only to be snapped back to reality by someone getting torn to shreds
not even a mile from our cottage.
I felt awful about it. But alsopletely unsatisfied.
I swallowed against the lump in my throat as I walked to the bunkhouse. It was nearing lunch, and
Bethany had asked me to sit with her and eat something before we went back out to tend the lower
gardens. I was thankful for a respite from my conflicting feelings as I stepped through the door and
removed my boots.
But I wasn’t getting away from it that easily, I quickly realized. ine and Bethany were sitting at the
dining room table when I arrived and had a teid out for me-and questions.
“How long have you known him?” ine asked as I bit into an apple.
I shrugged, chewing slowly in hopes the conversation would move past the subject of Xander. He was
the only thing anyone wanted to talk about after what had happened.
“Like, a week, honestly,” I said cooly, sipping my ss of root beer. ine rolled her eyes at Bethany,
who fixed me with a knowing stare.
“Jen is in love with him,” ine said, leaning back in her chair. ‘She wants nothing more than to jump
his bones after watching him takemand of the, uhm, situation the other night.”
“ine, we’re not talking about that until we hear something concrete from the Alpha, after his
investigation. Radcliffe’s orders.” Bethany looked exhausted. She’d likely been fielding questions about
what had happened for the past several days.
“I know, I know,” ine replied, waving her hand in dismissal. “Anyway, Jen is really hoping he’s
coming to the party tonight, at the pub. I told her not to get her hopes up-”
“What party?’ I asked, feeling incredibly territorial over Xander, even though I had no reason to feel that
way. What had happened between US hadn’t been more than a kiss, right?
“Some of the workers are going to the vige tonight to drink at the pub. It’s not really a party,” Bethany
shrugged, shaking her head, “unless you like warm beer and old men with missing teeth hitting on you.
They go most Fridays.”
“I’m going,” ine quipped, nudging my arm. “You shoulde!”
“Sure,” I breathed, even though inside I was on fire with jealousy.
Jen would, no doubt, seek out Xander and ask him to go with her. I found it unlikely he’ d ept, but
there was still a chance I’d be wrong. And despite the fact that I knew in my soul nothing further should
happen between Xander and me, I hated the idea of him being with anyone else, especially Jen.
I had no reason to dislike her, though. She hadn’t done anything to me. She’d just been in Xander’s line
of sight, and I hated it.
So, when ine pulled up in front of the cottage in a run-down carter that evening, its mint-colored
paint covered inrge splotches of rust, I decided it was time to confide in someone. I needed someone
to help me unravel my intense feelings. Otherwise, they’d take overpletely.
“The front doors don’t open!” she hollered as I walked up. ‘You have to climb in through the backdoor!”
“How’d you get in?” Iughed, yanking open the back door with an audible crunch and tossing my
purse inside.
“Same as you,” she giggled as I struggled to climb over the center console. I grunted with effort, nearly
upside down as I tried to get my legs out from under me. I wiped my brow and adjusted my weight in
my seat, reaching back for the seatbelt, which I found was not there.
“I won’t crash. Don’t worry. At least not today. It’s not in the cards!”
“You’re wild, ine,” Iughed, slightly panicked as the car lurched forward several times before the
clutch gave way, and she was able to put it in gear. “Where’s everyone else?”
“I don’t really like anyone else, besides you and Bethany. I pretended like I wasn’t going so they
couldn’t use me for my car. They’re all piled in the back of the farm truck-’
Something mmed into the back window of the car and we both screamed.
“Sorry,” Xander mumbled, wrenching open the back door and sliding inside. ine and I looked at each
other, both slightly red in the face. “I missed the truck.”
“Jen will be severely disappointed,” ine teased, fumbling with the clutch once more. “I thought I’d
just ran someone over, Xander!”
“This thing would’ve just rolled right over the top of me,” he huffed, stretching his arms out over the
back of the seat. “I didn’t mean to smack the window so hard.”
“It’s fine,” she drawled, tapping her hands on the steering wheel as we bounced over the uneven dirt
road toward the forest. “Happy to drive you.”
“Can you hand me my purse?” I asked, looking over my shoulder at Xander.
He met my eye for a moment, which was honestly the first time we’d made true eye contact since the
night of the murder. He handed me my purse without breaking his gaze, which was slightly unnerving,
but I stifled the ripple of heat his stare was eliciting and opened my purse, fishing around for the tube of
lipstick rolling around at the bottom.
“There’s no mirror on the vizor. You’ll have to wing it,” ineughed as we drove out of the forest and
across the bridge.
The vige of Crimson Creek came into view, rising in the distance against a vivid sunset. I quickly put
on the lipstick, which was a warm peach color, and put it back in my bag. I could feel Xander’s eyes on
the back of my neck and was a little irritated he had interrupted the one opportunity rd had with ine,
alone, to talk about him.
He hadn’t said anything in response to ine’sment about Jen, though. That had to count for
something.
It was a short ride into town, and soon we were pulling to a stop in front of a tavern.
“There’s a hotel, over there-‘ ine pointed in the distance, and I could see the farm truck parked
outside the hotel’s entrance. “Bethany got US a few rooms, but she’s driving back tonight if you don’t
want to stay in the vige this weekend.”
“That was kind of her,” I said, then we both looked back at Xander, who was staring back at US.
“What?” he said, arching his brow as he looked at ine, then me.
“The front doors don’t open. We have to climb out,” ine said, motioning toward the back door.
“Really?” he asked, looking skeptical.
“Move, Xander!” I urged, and he nodded, giving US both a dubious look as he slid out of his seat.
ine went first, climbing over the center console in a practiced fashion. I, on the other hand, struggled
significantly and to the point that Xander groaned with frustration and bent his head to reenter the car,
pulling me over the front seat with his hands sped firmly under my armpits.
I squirmed against his touch, turning a deep shade of fuchsia as he yanked me out of the car.
“Stop, stop!” I said breathlessly, swatting him with my purse.
“What’s wrong with you?” he asked, reaching down to push a lock of hair away from my eyes.
“That tickled. I’m-I’m ticklish,” I breathed.
He was looking into my eyes, and I noticed the hint of a smile touching the corner of his mouth.
ine cleared her throat, her hands on her hips as she watched US.
Xander’s demeanor changed abruptly.
“Get a new car, ine,’ Xander said grouchily, abruptly turning on his heel as he walked into the bar,
leaving US standing outside on the curb.
“He’s great fun,’ ine said curtly, giving me a lopsided, teasing smile. “I think he likes you.”
“He doesn’t,” I sighed, adjusting my purse strap.
“Why do you say that?’ ine held the door to the bar open for me as we stepped inside.
I shrugged, deciding maybe I wasn’t all that ready to speak my true, conflicting feelings, and I most
definitely didn’t want to talk about the whole te situation.
Thankfully, I didn’t need to answer. ine waved at someone across the bar and linked her arm in
mine. We passed through the crowded tavern, which was filled with a surprisingly young mix of people.
There were a few older men, just like Bethany had said, but they were lounging in a corner table
chatting amiably with each other.
Everyone else seemed to be around my age; college students, or farm workers. ine seemed to
know practically everyone in the room, and I realized how I knew nothing about her or where she came
from. Based on how many people she recognized, she very likely could be a local of Crimson Creek.
ine processed the medicinal nts for Radcliffe, turning them into salves and tinctures, but that was
all I really knew about her.
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“Everyone, this is Lena. She’s a Morhan student working at Radcliffe this fall,” she said, beaming as
she pulled me beside her. Four or five people stared at me, nodding in greeting.
One man, in particr, gave me the kindest greeting of all. He was tall, though not as tall as Xander,
but still towered above my short frame. He was tan, with dark curly and shockingly amber colored eyes
that sent a thrill through me as they met mine.
“What are you studying, Lena?” he asked, bringing a pint of beer to his lips. ine excused herself,
mumbling something about grabbing US a few drinks.
“Botany,” I said, my stomach fluttering a bit as he considered this.
“I’m Ben, one of ine’s friends. I live a few miles away from Radcliffe.”
“Oh, you live here, in Crimson Creek?”
“Within the territory, yeah, but my family owns its own property not far from the vige. Where are you
from?”
“Oh, the east,” I said hurriedly, ncing through the crowd as ine’s auburn curls made their way up
to the bar.
“So, school brought you out here, then? Are you the only Morhan student?”
“No, uhm, my study partner is here as well. He’s studying chemistry and pharmaceuticals.”
“That tall guy staring right at me, right now, I presume?” Ben smirked, his eyes flicking away from mine
and settling for a moment on the other end of the bar.
I exhaled and slowly turned my head in the direction Ben was staring. Xander was looking right at US.
“That’s him,” I sighed, ring at Xander before turning my attention back to Ben.
“Is he going to beat me up if I buy you a drink?”
Ben’s eyes met mine again, and I shrugged.
“There’s only one way to find out!”