Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder novel Chapter 417

Chapter 75: A Long Torturous Night

"Well, the contortionist is safe but we have another problem,” Nelson said, coming back into his office.

I stopped glaring at Tallis and turned my attention back to Nelson. He stood beside his desk, tapping his finger on a stack of papers.

"What's wrong?" Tallis demanded gruffly.

"There's been a landslide, not too far from here. Only about a mile away," he said somberly.

“A landslide? Is anyone hurt?” I asked, perking up.

"It happened late at night when no one was around. It does cover the road we were going to take to our next location, but no one was injured," Nelson assured with a nod.

I sighed and relaxed into the chair. The landslide must have been on my pack territory. They weren't common, but I remembered one from my childhood that hurt a lot of people.

I was relieved to learn that it hadn't caused a lot of casualties this time.

"The road isn't a well traveled road, but It will be a while before they clear it, so we will be stuck here until it is cleared," he explained, "Anyway, we aren't planning to leave until the ceremony ends. So hopefully by then, the roads are cleared."

Tallis nodded in understanding. I couldn't tell whether he was upset about the news or not. For some reason, I was a bit happy.

"Now, because space is tight, your little friend is going to have to bunk with you, Tallis," Nelson said, winking at me again and swiftly changing the subject.

"What? No. That is unacceptable," Tallis argued, shaking his head. His brow creased deeply.

"You know how it is. The two of us are the only ones with actual rooms. The rest of the performers share a tent out on the lawn," Nelson said, arching an eyebrow at Tallis.

He grumbled and shook his head. Clearly he didn't like that idea either.

"If that doesn't appeal to you either, he can always stay with me," Nelson suggested, smirking at his brother.

Tallis snorted and glared at the floor..

It was a bit odd to have Nelson refer to me as 'he.' I needed to get used to it now that I was in disguise. Normally, when I was in disguise, I tried to avoid interacting with anyone. It had been to prevent people from recognizing me, not for me to role play long-term.

"Those are all our options," Nelson shrugged.

"Fine, he will stay with me," he ground out through gritted teeth, his jaw tensing, eyes refusing to meet mine.

I glanced over at Nelson who smirked again and winked at me. My jaw loosened as I realized he'd planned that whole setup. He really wanted me to spend the night in a room with Tallis.

Maybe this was going too far. I didn't even want to know what was going through Nelson's mind...

Tallis made it clear he didn't care what anyone else thought of him, but his brother was meddling with his love life now, and things could get very sticky and complicated. Maybe I was better off staying at the pack and putting up with Hawke...

"Then it is settled. The two of you will bunk together. I'm going to head off to bed and I'm going to assume the two of you will do the same," Nelson said. He gave us a casual wave and left.

Sighing, I got to my feet and stretched, my back popping. Tallis was still standing there, looking grumpy. He might not have been tired, but I was exhausted.

I yawned, heavily hinting that I was ready to go to bed.

"Come on," he said forcefully, motioning for me to follow him with a hand.

We headed across the big event tent to where there was another small room closed off by thick, velvety curtains. It was a cramped room with just one twin sized bed, which hardly fit in the small space uncomfortably.

Immediately, I crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed. I yawned again and rubbed my weary eyes.

When I looked at Tallis, he was standing there with his hands shoved in his pockets, his head turned toward the curtain door. Being inside a tent, there weren't any real doors or windows anywhere. It was a little stuffy.

"If you're really that miserable about having me bunk with you, you had other options," I pointed out.

"You're tired. You should rest," he told me firmly.

I noticed how he didn't really answer my question. He also refused to look at me. I laid down on the bed and looked up at the tent ceiling, red velvet.

Tallis still hadn't moved and I wondered if I was being too needy or presumptuous, taking his bed. I got up and sat down on the ground. Tallis still didn't say anything, so I curled up and closed my eyes.

It was probably too much to expect him to be a gentleman and actually offer the bed to me. He didn't seem like the selfless type. When he didn't say anything at all, it was hard to tell what he was thinking or what he wanted me to do.

I could have been lying on a bed or razor sharp rocks and it wouldn't have mattered. For the first time in days, I actually felt as long as he was here, there wasn't anything I needed to worry about, and that I could finally take a good night of rest.

With that thought, my body relaxed, my eyes dropped instantly and I fell asleep.

*Theo