Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder novel Chapter 1006

*Sasha*

I was a lot more tired than I thought. On the remaining boat ride to Winter Forest, I stayed in the cabin resting. I had a lot to think about, so I didn't mind the solitude.

Lucas came to see me a lot, bringing me food and talking to me. I was too exhausted to hold a conversation for long and I didn't expect him to sit around watching me nap all day.

When I was awake and Lucas wasn't around, I thought about everything The Immortal said about my powers and the darkness in me.

Lucas hadn't said anything but I could tell he was worried, and not just because I was so tired. He'd seen something the night he rescued me and it worried him.

Was it my display of power? I hadn't had a chance to talk to him about it yet.

The power inside of me didn't feel evil or dark, but I couldn't deny that it was strong and dangerous. I needed to know more about it and learn how to control it.

By the second day, I realized that my exhaustion wasn't just from the power I used. It was because of what The Immortal said. Staying in bed under the covers was a way I could hide from the truth.

I didn't want to be dangerous, especially to the people I cared about. How could I prove him wrong?

“How are you feeling today?" Lucas asked, bringing me breakfast.

I yawned and stretched my arms in the air. “Better. I'm just a little confused about what happened."

Lucas sat on the edge of the bed and took my hand. “You don't need to worry about that now. Hopefully, my mom will have some answers."

“Lucas, were you afraid of me?"

He creased his brow. “Why would you think that?"

“Because… you looked scared when you first got to me in the dining hall."

“I didn't know what to think. I've never seen power like that, and I was scared for you."

I quickly told Lucas about what The Immortal said about me and my power.

“And I'm wondering, is he going to keep coming after me? Is he going to try and convince others to kill me?"

Lucas wrapped his arms around me and hugged me to his chest.

“Shh, Sasha. You know I won't let anything happen to you. He could send a thousand minions after you to end you and I would stop them all."

I sniffled and nodded. “Only a thousand? If he sent one more, would that be too many?"

Lucas chuckled and slipped his fingers through my hair. He kissed my forehead and held me across his lap.

“I don't believe what he said. I've known plenty of evil people in my life and you, my love, are not one of them, okay?"

“O-okay...."

The ship docked that afternoon and we went right to Lucas's mom's house.

Oliver and his men tagged along as well. Lucas told me that his mother, Maeve, was planning a big family dinner since he hadn't been home in a while.

“She wants to meet you first, before throwing you to the wolves."

I chuckled nervously as I followed him inside.

Lucas's childhood home was large. It had four bedrooms and three bathrooms. The floors were hardwood and it had many nice decorations and features, nothing too gaudy.

He led me through the foyer, the pristinely clean kitchen, and out the back double doors to a deck.

There was a woman in the back garden. I thought she was gardening at first because she was hunched over. When she stood up, I saw she had several fresh blossoms in her hand.

She held an arm up, waving to us, and tossed the flowers in a basket over her arm.

“Lucas, my boy!" she hurried to the deck, pulling her gardening gloves off.

Maeve pulled Lucas to her in a tight hug.

He glanced at me, his cheeks reddening slightly.

“Hi, Mom."

“I was just picking some fresh flowers to brighten up the dinner table tonight. Oliver is going to be there, so is Matt."

“Matt!?" Lucas pulled away from his mom.

I caught the surprised tone in his voice.

“Is that a problem?"

Maeve's voice changed too. She wasn't the loving, devoted mother; suddenly, she was an authoritative voice, daring Lucas to challenge her.

Lucas shook his head. “I'm sure it is fine. Anyway, Mom, this is Sasha, my mate."

He grabbed my hand and pulled me closer.

I got the feeling that Lucas and his family weren't as tight-knit as I thought.

“Oh, Sasha, you are beautiful." Maeve came over and cupped my cheeks. “How did my son ever get so lucky?"

I felt a blush rise on my cheeks and I glanced sideways at Lucas.

“Honestly, most days, I feel like I'm the lucky one." I squeezed his hand.

Maeve dropped her hands from my face. “Huh." She sighed and picked up her basket of flowers. “Dinner will be ready in an hour. You two should change out of your travel clothes."

She disappeared inside.

I looked down at my outfit. We changed just before getting off the boat.

“Um… I thought we had changed out of our travel clothes."

Lucas rolled his eyes. “Some things, you just have to roll with."

We headed to the room Maeve assigned to us. I washed up for dinner and changed into something a little nicer.

As well-decorated as the house was, it didn't feel like a home. It felt like a showroom. Everything was stiff, perfect, and sterilized. I didn't get the vibe that a happy family lived here, the kind that sat around the living room playing games together or sharing stories.

The outward appearance was stunning but it was all surface. Underneath it was completely different.

Oliver, Maeve, and another man, presumably Matt, were already at the table when Lucas and I arrived.

I recognized Matt's name and his eyes seemed familiar, too. He must have been around when I was a kid. Someone that was part of Lucas's friend group and no one I would spend any real time with.

I caught Lucas's eyes as they locked on Matt. A muscle in his jaw jumped and I guessed he was gritting his teeth.

Something had happened between them.

Brady and Phoebe sat together on the opposite end of the table to Maeve. Brady shot me a wink and Phoebe smiled at me. At least there were a couple of familiar faces around.

Automatically, Lucas held my chair out for me. I smiled gratefully and sat down.