Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder novel Chapter 333

Chapter 113: Like Nothing Happened

Maeve

“Can I have a bite of that?” I asked, motioning toward the turkey leg wrapped in greasy brown paper that Troy was holding up to his mouth as he prepared to take a bite. He arched his brow, then sighed, handing me the leg and shaking his head at me as I took the largest bite possible.

“I could have bought you your own-“.

“I didn’t want one until you had one,” I grinned, enjoying my bite.

Troy wrapped his arm around my shoulders as we continued to walk through the square in the University Center of Mirage, which was now housing a huge market and festival to celebrate the Winter Solstice.

It felt odd being not only this happy but this carefree. Three days ago, I had been standing outside the remains of the cave system, in a white, soiled dress, thinking my family had just been crushed to death.

Now I was walking around Mirage beneath webs of paper lanterns, my mate’s arm around my shoulders and his turkey leg, which was now mine, in my hand.

I could see Gemma in the distance, standing in line to buy a mug of mulled wine. Ernest was behind her, George fast

asleep in a carrier strapped to his chest.

“Where are the boys?” I asked, a moment of panic washing over me as the crowd seemed to swell. I knew they were with our family, but I didn’t see them now.

ILL

“With your parents,” Troy said as he pointed off in the distance. Mom was pretty easy to spot with her white hair. She was pushing a double stroller, and Dad was walking beside her, carrying Oliver in his arms. “They’re fine, see? I’m sure your parents will find us when the kids start getting hungry. Speaking of which, since you stole my dinner, I’m

going to have to get something else-”

He turned me toward a long row of booths selling all kinds of treats. I continued to munch on the turkey leg as Troy tried to decide between a basket of fried chicken or a burger. I was hoping for the fried chicken.

“Are there festivals like this in the Isles?” I asked as we waited in line.

Troy shrugged, crunching the empty paper cup of cider and tossing it into a trashcan. “I doubt it. There weren’t before, not under Damian’s rule.”

“Keaton told me once that you used to distract old women from their purses so the rest of the boys could steal,”

“Ah, of course he did,” Troy smiled, shaking his head.

The conversation was momentarily interrupted as Troy stepped forward to order his food, glancing at me before telling the man behind the booth what he wanted. I pointed to the picture of fried chicken, and Troy rolled his eyes, leaning forward to drop a handful of coins into the man’s hand.

| stepped to the side, turning to look over the crowd once again in search of my parents, but they were now lost in the swell of festival goers.

“Anyway,” Troy continued as he turned back to me with a bucket of fried chicken in his hands, “Avondale used to have several hotels along one of their beaches, in a neighborhood that used to house the castle of the Alpha, as well as a handful of mansions built for high ranking pack members from way back in the day-”

“You’re just going to eat it plain? No honey, nor hot sauce?” || interrupted as Troy began to walk away from the booth, passing the table of condiments.

He gave me a dirty look then turned back to the table, doctoring up what would no doubt be my second, or maybe third, dinner.

We fell in step with each other as we continued on through the market, passing a piece of chicken back and forth. I was pleasantly full, and pleased, when Troy ushered us into a sprawling beer garden in the center of the market. I sat on the grass while he bought another round of cider.

I was struck by the oddest sensation of déjà vu as I watched him order the drinks. It felt like just yesterday he had bought me a lemonade during the Spring Festival when I was dying of heat stroke but too enraptured by him to give a damn about myself.

That had been before I knew who he was. Before I knew him as Troy or even as Aaron. My mouth twitched into a smile as I watched him walk back over, giving me a goofy smile.

It was all worth it-every minute, every second of the past ten or eleven months-because it led to this moment right here, right now.

“That man right there, in the red jacket, that bastard cut in front of me in line,” he said as he sat down next to me, handing me the steaming, golden cider.

“Little does he know he just cut in front of the Alpha of Poldesse,” | teased, nudging him with my elbow.

“Maeve?”

“Yeah?”

“What I was saying earlier, about Avondale… look, it’s going to be rough, okay? And not like… not the obvious, that it’s highly likely our titles aren’t going to be met with total acceptance. The Isles are a rough place. They’ve decayed significantly since the war your parents were involved in. I don’t remember it any other way, but I worry… I know you can handle it. I just don’t want you to get your hopes up.”

“Get my hopes up about what?”

“Our standard of living, for one,” he said curtly, taking a deep gulp of his cider. I could smell that his was laced with bourbon, probably from the flask Dad had tucked into Troy’s pocket before we left the castle. “The castle of Poldesse is in ruins; it’s going to need a lot of work. Also, I have very little money. Pennies, honestly, compared to what other Alphas have-”

“You know I don’t care about that–”

“Because you haven’t had to care about that,” he replied, his voice edged with uncertainty. I straightened up a little. “Not that… I know you didn’t grow up in a castle back in Winter Forest, that your parents kept you as humble as possible but… I mean, the castle of Poldesse is falling into the sea, Maeve. It sa hell hole.”

“You’re worried about me not liking where we live?”

“I’m concerned about you coming with me right away. I think you should stay here or in Winter Forest for a few months, until I have things settled in the Isles,”

“Absolutely not,” I retorted, my cheeks prickling with heat. “No, I won’t do that. The boys and I are coming with you from the start. We’ll live on the Persephone if we have to.”

Troy knew me well enough to know I was digging in my heels on this matter. He sighed, looking out over the groups huddled around the picnic tables toward the entrance of the beer garden.

“I don’t know how safe it’s going to be, babe.”

“Well, we’ll make it safe. That’s our job now, isn’t it? To take care of the people of the Isles and restore balance.”

“It’s going to be a lot more than that,”

Troy paused, nudging me as he discreetly tilted his head toward the corner of the beer garden, where Caroline, my sixteen-year-old cousin, was sitting in the grass with a young man, drinking beer.

“Oh, she’s going to be in so much trouble!” I whispered,

stifling a laugh.

Caroline’s cheeks were rosy, whether from the slight chill in the air, the alcohol, or the fact that she was snuggled up against a handsome young man, I didn’t know.

“I haven’t seen Vicky or Paul in hours,” Troy replied, chuckling slightly to himself.

“Probably for the best, but I thought she was supposed to be watching Sarah and Kat.” I looked around, not seeing a single

glimpse of my younger cousins anywhere.

“Sarah’s old enough to be out by herself. She’s what, thirteen?”

“We all grew up very differently than you did, Troy,” I laughed. “You were a pirate at thirteen. Sarah, well, Kat is likely out there bossing poor Sarah around as we speak. Sarah’s shy, you know. I don’t think I saw her at all the entire time we were in Winter Forest.”

Tangled myself away from Caroline, not wanting her to see us

and risk ruining her evening of freedom.

“She can definitely see us, Maeve,” Troy murmured, draining his cup of cider. “You stick out, you know.”

“I do not,” I replied, reaching for another piece of fried chicken.

“Trust me, you do. You’re beautiful; you have to know that. Everyone looks at you when you walk by.”

I blushed, looking up at Troy through my lashes. He leaned down and kissed me, softly at first, and full enough to make

me feel a little warmth spread through my belly and thighs.

“Want to find a dark alley somewhere?” he growled into my ear.

“And watch you get beat up again? I don’t think so!”

We spent a good hour in the beer garden before the chilly night air forced us to start moving again, this time in search of my parents and our children. I was bursting with milk after eating my weight in food, and three or four cups of hot cider, and was thankful to see them toward the entrance of the market.

Dad was talking to Eugene, the Alpha of Red Lakes, Hanna’s father. Eugene was holding several large stuffed animals in his arms, his cheeks reddened from the cold, which made him look even more jolly than he usually did.

“I’m a great shot,” he said, holding up his prizes. “I see you have none, Alpha King. Here, you can have this one, it’s the smallest. Better luck next time, I say–” He handed Dad a fuzzy, pink teddy pair, patting Dad on the shoulder.

Dad nodded his thanks, stifling a scowl, then looked the bear up and down before placing it on top of Charlie, who was sleeping in the stroller.

Eugene was the only man I knew who knowingly sought to rile Dad up, except for maybe Keaton; and so far, he had been unsuccessful. It didn’t stop him from trying, though.

Troy had Oliver tucked in his jacket as we lingered near the

entrance to the market, Dad and Eugene were continuing their conversation, which was centered around an event taking place within a few days.

leavesdropped, growing somewhat annoyed by the length of the conversation because it was rather cold. Mom and Troy had wanted to take the train from the castle to the university center square to make a whole event of the festival, and I knew we still had a thirty-minute train ride home.

But then I heard something interesting.

“I have to go, as the king. I’m supposed to appoint her to the position”

“Who?” I asked, turning to face Dad.

“The new High Priestess,” he answered shortly, shrugging. “On

Tuesday.”

“Like a coronation?” I pressed, genuinely curious.

“No, not quite-”

“Hanna and Rowan are to be married by her after she ascends to her new title-” Eugene interjected.

“Married?” | exclaimed, looking from Dad and Eugene to Mom. “Why is this the first time I’m hearing of this?”

“Because we’re keeping it private, Maeve. Hanna ascended to Luna of Drogomor without being officially married”

“So? Is it really that important that they are? Hell, I don’t even remember getting married, but that didn’t seem to be an issue.”

Dad colored, and not from the cold.

“We can continue this conversation on the train, Gene,” Dad motioned Eugene to follow, leaving me standing, and seething, next to the stroller with Troy and Mom.

“What’s his problem?” | grumbled, looking at Mom.

“He’s having a hard time right now, Maeve. Please don’t bother him,”

“He’s having a hard time? Aren’t we all? What makes him so special-”

“Maeve, come on.” Troy took my hand, giving me a knowing look.

“Why is he being so secretive? Do Hanna and Rowan even know they’re getting married, or is that a private matter too?”

“Maeve, sweetheart-”

“No!” I bit out, overwhelmed by sudden fury. I glared from Troy to Mom. “Are we not going to talk about what happened? Are we just supposed to forget that we all almost died? And now… now everything just goes on, like normal?”

“Yes,” Mom said sternly, her tone biting.

| swallowed back my anger for a moment, sensing I had most definitely overstepped.

She continued, “Your dad is trying to salvage our reputations with the other Alphas right now, Maeve. We spent the better part of the summer and fall putting an army together to squash a threat that never came to fruition. He is the Alpha

King of the East, Maeve, and some of the other Alphas are starting to voice their concerns over what happened to Damian. People are asking questions.”

“So, we pretend like-”

“For Hanna’s sake, we pretend like nothing happened.” Mom pursed her lips, and I saw a momentary flash of uncertainty in her eyes, mimicking my own.

“Well, I should probably plan a bachelor party, huh?” Troy said after a moment of silence as we walked out of the festival.

| glared up at him then looked toward the figures of Dad and Eugene as they walked down the street ahead of us.