Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder novel Chapter 363

Chapter 21: The Girl Is a Spy

*Theo*

A knock on my office door drew me away from the work that had occupied most of my day. I’d thrown myself into it, trying not to think about the events of the past few weeks.

My assistant, Ciana, had made a full recovery from the curse that had befallen her-or whatever it was that made her lose her senses that night-and since that time, I’d hardly seen her at all.

Which was for the best.

Now, I had to assume this knock on the door was likely her, coming to ask me some silly question. “Come In!”

The door opened just a crack, and a woman stuck her face in.

But it wasn’t Ciana. It was that other girl… Sophia? Was that her name?

“Pardon me, sir, but… I have some important information I think you need to hear. I don’t want to intrude.”

I blew out a deep sigh. Of course, she wanted to intrude. This girl was very much about attempting to secure a place with the royal family for herself, though I wasn’t exactly sure it was

me she was after….

“What is it?” I asked since she’d already barged her way into my thoughts.

She approached my desk and stood on the other side, her hands folded, her head tipped down. “It’s about your assistant, Your Highness.”

Here we go again. She was going to try to tear Ciana down somehow. “Make it quick.”

“Your Highness, I thought you should know, I just saw her meeting with some man outside in the forest. She was talking to him by this rundown house. It was all very strange.”

I set my pen down and looked into her eyes. The rundown house wasn’t something that Sophia could make up, and that was where the kidnapper Luther had led Ciana. Why would she go there? Who was she talking to?

Sophia gave a little shrug and said like she was just trying to help me out, “I don’t think we should trust her.”

Who was this “we” she was referring to? I wanted nothing to

do with this arrogant woman.

“I think she might be… a spy,” she concluded.

I didn’t want to believe her. She’d been trying to get Ciana in trouble from day one. But somewhere, deep in my gut, I began to wonder what Ciana had been up to lately.

“All right then. I’ll check,” I said, dismissively. “Anything else?”

She opened her mouth as if she might say something else, but when she saw the look on my face, she knew better.

“No, Your Highness.” She bowed again and left.

I attempted to continue to do my work, but I couldn’t get her

I’d had many attempts on my life lately, and somehow Ciana always seemed to be right there when it happened.

Pushing up from my desk, I headed outside to see what I could discover.

I hadn’t made it very far when I heard someone moving around, and I knew that it had to be her. I could almost feel her presence.

The next thing I knew, my “personal attendant” was jumping out from behind a tree with a knife in her hand, lunging at me. “You’re so done!” she yelled.

Immediately, I knocked the blade out of her hand, but at the same time, multiple throwing stars flew at me and almost took me by surprise. I wasn’t afraid of her. Even with her weapons, she was no match for me.

“I didn’t know you could fight like this.” I sneered.

She paused, inhaled deeply and covered her mouth with both of her palms.

“Oh, Your Highness!” she declared.

I narrowed my eyes. She was a very good fighter… way more skillful than I thought of an average Alpha’s daughter. Had she been hiding her true strength from me intentionally?

“What are you doing here?”

“I…” she swallowed, “I was just taking a walk…”

She lied.

I narrowed my eyes and challenged her. “Taking a walk with yourself fully armed?” My tone grew colder.

“I… I’m so sorry. I just saw a shadow in the dark, and I was frightened. I didn’t mean to-”

“Didn’t mean to kill me? And when you realized your plan had failed, you wanted to pretend that this was just an accident, and you would be off the hook easily again?”

“Your Highness-”

I interrupted her. “Now tell me, what exactly did Luther ask you to do?”

“What?” she blanched, her eyes widening. “Luther? I was just

“Answer me! Were you or were you not out here meeting with him?”

She stared at me blankly, not saying anything.

Her lack of a denial was confirmation enough for me.

Folding my arms across my chest, I took her in. She was a good-looking woman, and she had a pair of seemingly innocent eyes, but those were the ones who would get a man in the most trouble, if he wasn’t overly cautious.

Sophia’s words rang in my ear. “She’s a spy!”

Was she no different from the other men or women who wanted my life?

Why was I so surprised? They were around me all the time, but Ciana…. What made me think that she wasn’t one of them?

For some reason, I felt rage rushing through my veins, as if I was betrayed by someone who I trusted. It was ridiculous; she was just one of those eighty women who were forced on me. Why did I feel she was… special?

I should have killed her that first day, when I slaughtered those other assassins in my office with Jake. She should’ve been among the first to fall. That way, she never would’ve weaseled her way into court the way that she had.

Now, she had completely fooled me and Jake. Hell, even Warren seemed to be taken with the little liar.

This entire time, she’s just been waiting for the right time to kill me!

When I went to her rescue last time, that was probably all just a show for Luther. And the curse? Of course, it didn’t take! It was all faked. It was all just part of the show she was putting on with Luther. I had stayed up all night nursing her, hoping she’d be all right, and she was probably awake the whole time, inwardly giggling every time I whispered words of comfort to her….

How ridiculous that I’d even kissed her lips! The thought of it now made me want to punch my fists into a wall, I was so angry.

All this time, she’d been having all of these little “accidents,” and I’d been stumbling along behind her, trying to ensure her safety. I was as big a fool as anyone!

“Jake,” I called using the mind-link.

“Yes, Alpha.”

“Meet me in the garden and collect my personal attendant.”

“Collect? Yes, Alpha,” he said immediately. “Where do you want me to put her?”

“The dungeon,” I replied sternly. Jake could interrogate the little miss and see if he could get any information out of her. I was washing my hands of Ciana Black once and for all.

A few minutes later, Jake arrived next to me. I watched Ciana’ s expression change as she figured out what was going on. “Please, Prince Theo, if you just give me a chance to explain myself, I promise I can clear this up.”

I shook my head. “It’s too late for all of that. I gave you a chance to tell me the truth, but you lied. Jake, take her to the dungeon.”

Jake hesitated, and when I turned to look at him, his head was tipped toward the ground. He wouldn’t disobey me, though. He didn’t grab her. He didn’t have to. Ciana went with him, suddenly showing her obedience.

I took a deep breath, letting the night air calm me. I still had her blood for the blood moon, but at least this way, she couldn’t bother me.

And she wouldn’t be able to cause any more trouble either.

*Jake*

I waited outside of my Alpha’s door for him to tell me to come in. When I did, I found him at his desk looking over some files, so I waited for him to acknowledge me. Eventually, he looked up, his brows raised.

Reporting on this issue was difficult for me. Anytime I felt Prince Theo had made a mistake, it was hard for me to tell him so. Even though we’d been friends for a long time before I became his Beta, like most people of importance, he didn’t like to be told he was wrong.

“Miss Black hasn’t broken yet. It’s been two days with no food or water, Alpha, just like you said.” I let that sink in and waited for him to respond.

“She’s a spy yet you’re still calling her Miss Black?” he asked me. I shrugged, not sure why that was relevant. He pondered my statement for a moment before he said, “Well, she had dreamberries. It will take a bit longer for her to suffer physically because of it.”

I waited. For the first time in seven years of serving as his Beta, I saw that he was indecisive. If he truly wanted me to break her, he would have me torturing her. But that wasn’t what he had ordered. I was simply supposed to ask her questions while she went without food and water.

And so far… all she’d said in response to my questions was that she didn’t know, and she wasn’t a spy.

And I believed her.

“Alpha, I told you before I did a thorough background check on her. She’s not from one of the packs that have taken issue with you or the king. If she truly were a spy, I could break her

easily enough if you allowed me to use the usual methods. But-”

“I don’t want you to do that,” he said, looking directly at me for the first time.

His words were a comfort to me as I didn’t want to harm the girl either. Like he mentioned, the dreamberry Ciana took would give her extraordinary strength and would keep her alive without food or water much longer, although she would still feel the hunger and thirst.

Still… I wanted to get to the bottom of this.

He was different when she was around. Most of the time, Alpha Prince Theo was a monotone. His emotions ranged from dull to slightly more dull. But when Ciana was nearby, he had a pulse. He was alive in ways I couldn’t quite explain.

She was good for him in many ways, and perhaps it was the fact that she brought him to life that had him afraid of her now, thinking that if he truly confirmed that she had been lying to him, and that whatever had prompted him to throw her in the dungeon was real, what would he do?

Could he really bring himself to… end her?

That was why he chose to let her sit down there while he sorted this out on his own.

It was troublesome to me and everyone else who knew the girl though. No matter how I looked at it, I couldn’t bring myself to believe that she was working for our hidden enemies.

In addition, her friend Brook was worried sick about her. The

little redhead had been pestering me everyday, and I couldn’t tell her the truth.

“What would you have me do?” I asked him, keeping my tone as even as possible.

“Don’t… don’t do anything,” Prince Theo replied. “Just leave her be.”

“Leave her be?” I repeated. “Does that mean continue with no food and water, but don’t increase the amount of pressure she has on her to confess, if there’s anything to confess to?” I asked, seeking clarification.

The prince ran a hand through his hair and then slowly nodded. “Yes, that’s what I’m saying, Beta Jake. Leave her alone for now.”

“All right, Alpha,” I said, but I was watching him carefully.

The prince pressed his fingertips to his temples, as if he had a headache coming on.

Ordinarily, something like that would be a minor

inconvenience, but if this was a sign that he was truly losing control of his emotions. Well, what happened next wouldn’t be pretty.

I turned around and left his office, knowing he’d tell me the instant he’d changed his mind and had different orders. For now, I’d leave Miss Ciana Black alone in the cell deep down in the dungeon, hoping that whatever deity she believed in was on her side and she’d be out of there soon.

Or else… I didn’t know what might happen to… my Alpha.