Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder novel 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 place, 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 the landscape. There were no living maps of the southern pass Even the radar in the engine room was running blindly plagued by constant errors. I meant to map the area, take note of every island 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 Myla 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 off land 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, laughing 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 would come 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 blanched at the idea of meeting her father. Her mother sounded nice, sweet, and would probably be more welcoming. 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 relationship, 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 hours later 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 net. 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, come 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-in-law 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 him later, for sure.

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

“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 placed 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,” I laughed, 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.

We lay 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 but laugh. 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, still laying flat on her

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

“Oh, how come?”

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

I laughed, unable to stop myself. I liked the picture she was painting of Ethan. There was a chance, although a thin one, that he would accept 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 planned. “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 relationship 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 planning on taking our conversation.

“It doesn’t bother me, Troy. I’m more curious than anything. Myla 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 Myla 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 places 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 place 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 choked laugh escaping her throat. She snuggled deeper into her pillow, her eyes fixed on mine. “You know, I accepted 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 relaxed into sleep, watching as her eyelids began to flutter.