Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder novel Chapter 264

Chapter 44: Waves of Emotion

Chapter 44 : Waves of Emotion

Maeve

The camp was nothing more than a few large canvas tents spread out across the beach above the tideline. I sat next to Cleo around a small fire, hugging my knees to my chest as we watched the skiffs dart around the Persephone in the high tide, looking for leaks.

“The ship is definitely floating.” Myla said as she approached our circle, handing out bowls of some kind of stew. I accepted a bowl, thanking her as I straightened my legs and rested the bowl on my thighs.

Cleo was looking out over the water, her gaze eventually shifting to the starry sky above us as we ate our soup in silence. “The stars are so clear,” she said, setting her bowl down in the sand, “It’s truly amazing. You can see everything.”

“No lights,” I said with a smile, following her gaze, “I don’t remember ever seeing the stars in Valoria, especially near Mirage. But back home

– swallowed against the lump in my throat, feeling incredibly homesick.

I was sick of the heat, honestly. I felt sticky and filthy all the time. I thought Valoria had been bad with its thick humidity, but this place was far worse.

It had been two days since I washed up on the beach. We didn’t have much to do but wait, and watch, as the crew of the Persephone tried to mend the boat. Olly had us fetch water all day long, insisting that he boil every bucket before using it for cooking, washing, and drinking. Meran had brought her goats and chickens on shore, letting them roam just within sight. The dog proved to be a great companion to have around. He spent his days watching over the chickens, alerting Meran if they began to stray too far into the brush.

“I think they’re close to finishing fixing whatever was wrong with at least one of the engines,” Myla said, stirring her soup, “That’s what Keaton told me, at least.”

“How are things going with you two?” I asked, smiling softly to myself as she blushed.

“Oh, it’s been great. Kind of a shock, of course.”

“I don’t know if shock is the best way of describing it,” Cleo laughed.

“Oh? Do you have a better word for waking up from a coma to finding your mate on a pirate ship, learning your house burned down, and your pack was taken over by a rival Alpha, then getting swept up in a hurricane and spending your first few nights with your mate sleeping in the sand?”

I laughed, shaking my head as I looked back over the water, watching as the two skiffs made their way back to the shore.

“You’ve hardly touched your soup, Maeve,” Cleo scolded. I shrugged, bringing my knees to my chest again.

*I’m not very hungry.”

Cleo gave me a motherly look of disapproval, then looked away, leaning into a conversation with Myla.

I let the night wrap around me, enjoying the cool breeze coming off the waves. I saw Troy jump off one of the boats, walking through the waves as he guided it up onto the sand. He was smiling.

I asked what had happened to him after he cut the skiff loose. He had been reluctant to talk about it at first, but eventually opened up about it the night before as we laid in his tent on nothing but a blanket over the sand.

He thought he was going to die. He was sure the ship was about to go under. He hadn’t seen me go into the water, or that I had missed the skiff by only a few feet. He had been tossed across the deck, crushed against the railing by the wave that nearly tipped the Persephone on its side.

But the ship righted itself, continuing to thrash back and forth in the water for another two hours before the storm passed over. Troy had managed to climb up the stairs to the helm where he gripped the steering wheel for dear life, trying to angle the boat over the waves in a way it wouldn’t tip the boat or take on too much water.

“It was only Keaton and I left on board, neither of us willing to leave each other or the ship behind. He had gotten the women onto one of the skiffs. I thought you were with them. It wasn’t until I saw them lower it into the water that I realized you weren’t there,” he had said, guilt racking his voice.

I told him what I remembered, which was practically nothing after I hit the water. I tried to remember what had happened in the water, but it was though my memory had been wiped clean of the trauma. I told him about trekking through the jungle and the dog finding me, about the pool of water and seeing one of the skiffs reflecting off the sun.

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Chapter 44: Waves of Emotion

We had laid there for a long time in total silence, my head resting against his chest. I fell asleep to his heartbeat and the slow roll of the tide.

“Hey,” he said, sitting down next to me and breaking out of my musings. He had a bowl of soup in his hand, resting it on his knee as he threw another piece of driftwood into the fire.

“Hey.” I breathed, my stomach clenching as the smoke blew in our direction, the sharp, salty smell of the burning driftwood making me feel slightly nauseous.

“Not hungry?” he asked, motioning towards my untouched bowl. I shook my head, my stomach turning as I looked at the bowl sitting tepid in the sand. Troy arched his brow, looking from me to Cleo, and she exchanged a knowing glance with him before settling back into her own soup

“I think I should go to bed now,” I said, not likely the look that had passed between Troy and Cleo. A wave of fury washed over for no reason, my mood changing abruptly.

“I’ll join you in a-”

“No.” I said to Troy, the word coming out harsh and slightly cold. I cleared my throat, mumbling an apology under my breath before walking briskly up the beach to the row of tents that sat along the tree line.

I could feel their eyes on me. I hated it. I just wanted to be alone all of a sudden.

I slipped out of my shoes, a pair of leather sandals several sizes too large for me, and set them outside the tent, careful not to track sand onto the blanket. Supplies had been brought off the Persephone after the storm and carried on the skiffs to the beach camp: clothes and linen and food mostly. I felt much better after changing into a fresh shirt and pants, and laid down on the blanket with my knees tucked against my stomach, my arms wrapped around the pillow.