Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder novel Chapter 302

Chapter 82: The Two Stones

Maeve

Mom patted the bed, inviting me to lay next to her.

I wiped the tears from my face before turning down the thick covers, sliding into bed beside her. She was in a sitting position, holding the cup of tea in her lap as she looked over at me, taking me in.

“You’ve changed a lot,” she said with a smile, reaching out to tuck my hair behind my ears. “You’re very tan. And I’ve never seen your hair quite this light-”

“You can mention I weigh a million pounds now. It wouldn’t hurt my feelings.”

She rolled her eyes and sipped her tea. “You look beautiful, Maeve. Healthy.”

“I don’t want to be pregnant anymore,” I whimpered as I buried my face in the pillow.

“Well, by the looks of it, it could be over any day now,”

“Five more weeks…” I grimaced as one of the babies kicked me firmly in the ribs.

“Five? But-”

I pulled the covers over my head. “I’m having twins.”

“Oh,” Mom said, unable to hide the joy in her voice. “Well,

sometimes twins come early. We’ve had a few sets born in the village. Remember when the triplets were born a few years ago? That was quite a feat-”

“Mrs. Abrams was miserable, Mom. I’m sure she still is-”

“I saw her a few days ago at the market, sweetheart. She seemed happy, just… a little frazzled.” She set her teacup down on the bedside table with a clang, and then reached over to stroke my side. “You’re going to suffocate under there.”

I pushed the covers away, my face twisted in hurt. “Dad hates me.”

“He doesn’t hate you!”

“I’m pregnant with his arch nemesis’s grandchild, Mom!”

“Arch nemesis?”

“Maddalyn! He’s so, so mad at me. I’m surprised he hasn’t killed Troy.”

“We definitely discussed it,” she laughed, her eyes creasing with mirth.

Tarched my brow. “Last night? I figured Troy told him who he was this morning,”

“We‘ve known for a while, honey. Ernest brought Troy’s sketchbook back from the castle. The one of Maddalyn is… impossible to deny. Dad told me he looks like her, too. He must be beautiful.” There was pain in her voice when she said the last part.

“What did Maddalyn do, exactly?”

Mom exhaled, then laughed softly, shaking her head. “I don’t know where to begin!”

“The beginning would be fine.”

“Hmm… well, Maddalyn came into my life before… I was still a breeder then. She was unhappy with the arraignment. Your father and Maddalyn were betrothed; at least that’s what Romero and King James had wanted. She was cruel to me in those days, before the war. Just… a mean girl, not yet a villain.”

“Does it bother you that Troy looks like her?”

“Well, I haven’t met him yet, Maeve. But no, from what Ernest and Gemma have told us, it sounds like Troy is nothing like his parents. I won’t deny that Maddalyn was beautiful. She was. She truly was. Just not on the inside.”

“He wasn’t raised by her. He doesn’t know her at all.”

“I gathered that from what Ernest knew about Troy’s relationship with Romero.”

Thank the Goddess for Ernest. He had saved me from having to explain everything that had happened before the invasion.

“Your dad isn’t going to kill Troy. But he will be asking questions. I heard Rowan tried to fight him,”

“Keyword: tried. They both beat the crap out of one another,” I said bluntly. “Rowan hates me too, Mom. He didn’t even say hi to me when I arrived last night.”

“Rowan is going through something very complicated right now, honey.”

“What is it?” I asked with interest.

Her mouth twitched into a smile, but then she looked away. “He found his mate, and… Hanna is wonderful. I like her a lot. But she

has… powers.”

“Wait, Hanna of Red Lakes? Is that why Kacidra is here?”

“Yes.”

“And Hanna is like… you?”

“No…”

“Then what can she do?”

“She dreams. I don’t really know how to explain-”

If I had been physically capable of jumping to my feet without struggling to get out of the bed, I would have. “She’s a Dream Dancer?”

“How do you know what that is?”

“Oh, Goddess,” I sighed, rolling over onto my back. “This is going to be a very long story, Mom.“

***

“So, you felt it when I… when I lost my powers?” she asked.

It had taken me over two hours to tell her everything. I recounted every detail from the moment I met Troy to the second I stepped off the boat in Winter Forest, leaving a few spicier things that happened between Troy and me out, of course.

I was sitting up in bed now, resting a sandwich Gretchen had brought up for me on the swell of my stomach. “And… the moonstone we found in the tomb, I used it to bring Troy back to life, like Gemma used her moonstone on you.”

“And the people of… Dianny? Is that what that pack is called?”

“Dianny is their city, The Sisters of Artemis is their pack.”

“I see. I think I understand. They think… bringing the stones together is,”

“Una wasn’t sure what would happen.” I swallowed, looking down at the sandwich. “But I think we’re supposed to be the ones to do it. Tasia wants them, though. I don’t know what for.”

“She wants to end the White Queens; at least that’s what Hanna and I think.” Mom had told me what happened to her and Hanna, how Tasia had come through the dream and wrecked the temple.

The pieces were falling into place, and I felt suddenly at peace. We had made it this far, overcome so much. I was looking forward to just being home for a moment.

But then the door to the bedroom opened.

Dad walked into the room, his eyes downcast as he moved to the end of the bed and stopped, his arms crossed over his chest.

“I owe you an apology,” he said, looking up at me through his lashes.

“Oh? Go on,” I said with a smartass grin.

“Maeve,” Mom said in a warning tone.

Dad glared at me, then cleared his throat. “I’m sorry.”

“For what, exactly?”

Dad sharpened his glare, then glanced at Mom, a silent plea for help in his eyes. She shrugged, smiling at him, clearly enjoying and

having missed our constant bickering.

He had showered and shaved, and it looked like someone had given him a haircut. Georgia likely got her hands on him, I thought. She always gave Rowan a haircut whenever she visited, not liking the men in her life with long hair.

“We owe you thanks, Troy, for taking care of our daughter,” she said, sounding every bit like a queen.

“Ernest and Talon are on their way back from Mirage; they will arrive in the morning. Troy, we will have a lot to discuss with the two of them regarding your title,” Dad said over the soft murmur of my words to Troy.

“You’ll be taking your rightful seat as Alpha of Poldesse, after the wedding.”

“We owe you thanks, Troy, for taking care of our daughter,” she said, sounding every bit like a queen.

Mom’s mouth opened in surprise, and Dad flexed his jaw, reaching up to scratch his beard as I exhaled deeply, rolling my eyes. I set the sandwich on the nightstand, attempting to swing my legs out of the bed but struggling. Troy came to my side, glancing at Dad before he took my hand and helped me onto my feet.

“Ernest and Talon are on their way back from Mirage; they will arrive in the morning. Troy, we will have a lot to discuss with the two of them regarding your title,” Dad said over the soft murmur of my words to Troy.

Troy froze, his fingers clasping down on my hand. “My title?”