Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder novel Chapter 513

Chapter 15: Did I Hurt You?

♦Lena*

Xander and Henry had been talking, closed up in the bedroom, for more than two hours. I'd been kicked out of the cottage completely, made to sit on the porch like a child, twiddling my thumbs. It was Saturday, midday, and the rest of the workers were still enjoying their weekend in the village.

It was eerily quiet and dumping rain.

Henry pushed the door open and stepped out, not even looking in my direction as he walked down the steps and out into the downpour. I glared at him as I rose, crossing my arms over my chest as I watched him disappear around the corner of the cottage, walking toward his own with his medkit tucked under his arm.

I went inside, taking three long strides before reaching the bedroom door, and pushed it open.

Xander was sitting upright in bed, his back against the wall and his legs splayed out in front of him. His chest was bare, despite the chill, and his bandages were fresh. Henry must have changed them, I thought as I stepped into the room and leaned on the doorway, giving him a dubious look.

"I'm fine,” he glared, adjusting his weight with a grimace. He patted the bed next to him, arching his brow at me. “Do you want to finish what we started?’

“You're insane,' I hissed, tapping my fingers on my elbow as I looked him up and down. He looked much better than the night before. To my utter disbelief, the strange bruising was almost completely gone. 'You screamed Jen's name, by the way.'

"Henry told me. He also said it upset you.“

"I was more upset about the thought of you dying right in front of me. You fell on top of me, you know. You passed out.'

“Did I hurt you?" he asked.

I colored, then shook my head. Maybe not physically, but emotionally?

He watched me for a moment, his eyes scanning my face to make sense of my troubled expression. 'Jen did this to me, Lena."

"What?" I asked, not sure I'd heard him correctly.

"She bit me,” he said casually, reaching over to grab a book off the bedside table.

I gaped at him, then furrowed my brow. "Stop messing with me, Xander!'

"I’m telling you the truth. She bit me. Obviously, she gave me... some kind of infection.'

"Was she marking you?' I asked, feeling suddenly weak and defensive. I hugged myself, wishing I hadn't asked it.

"She was trying to take a chunk out of me. Not the same thing," he actually laughed, then patted the bed again with more force.

I gave in to him and crawled onto the bed. but didn't sit next to him like he wanted me to. I felt incredibly uneasy, and shocked, if I was being honest.

"What did you talk to Henry about?" I asked, wanting nothing more than to force him to dress and head to his makeshift lab in the warehouse. I knew Henry had smeared the black, murky blood root powder over his wound.

"Look, Lena,' he breathed, sitting up a little straighter. "You're going back to Morhan next weekend. Henry is going to set everything up-"

"No," I said with force, but he held his hand up to silence me.

"It's not up for debate. And its not for good, just for a week or so until all of this gets sorted out-"

"No, Xander! You don't get to decide that for me!"

"It's not just me behind this, Lena. Okay? Henry said Maxwell Radcliffe want you off the property until the Alpha of Crimson Creek gives US an update on the investigation.'

"Do I have any say in this?" I asked, feeling heated. "I’m here because-because I had no other options. It’s not fair. None of this is fair. You came here because for some reason you wanted to follow me. You said you felt obligated. And now? Someone gets murdered, you get a chunk bitten out of your chest, Henry is using some kind of witchcraft magic powder on you-'

"Witchcraft magic?" Xander arched his brow, interrupting me.

I scowled. 'And no one is telling US anything. This place is weird, Xander. It's scary." I swallowed, feeling tears begin to well in my eyes. 'I'm scared, okay? What happened last night was scary. Everytime we... the last time we...'

"The two times I've kissed you, something bad has happened," he finished, shrugging one shoulder.

"I want to test the blood root Henry put on you. I can't leave without doing it."

"I know. And we will.'

I believed him. He was staring at me intently, waiting for me to say what I actually wanted to say. I didn't know how he knew, but he shook his head, his eyes hard and serious.

"I ended things with Jen,' he said calmly, tilting his head a little.

I looked away from him, settling my eyes on the curtains covering the window. "Before or after she mauled you?"

"Before. It wasn't a sex thing."

I blinked a few times then turned to look at him again. When he'd kissed me, he'd been gentle. He'd been caring, asking me if I was okay. The first time we'd kissed, we had almost just gone all the way, and he didn't just assume I'd wanted it. He'd asked.

But I knew he'd been holding back. I could see the dissatisfaction now, lingering behind his eyes. For a split second, I wanted to know what he'd done with Jen... and if he'd treated her like he treated me.

But then I felt the tears again and quickly changed my mind.

"So, she attacked you?"

"Yes, I think. I thought... Lena, look. I'm sorry-" he proceeded to tell me what happened in the warehouse, just hours before he caught up to Elaine’s car as we were heading to the village. He wasn't worried about mincing his words to hide the truth about what happened. He was honest with me.

"Where's Jen now? Did she go to the village?'

"I didn't see her," he said. "Did you?"

I shook my head then brought my knees into my chest, hugging them.

"I told Henry what happened. He's going to take care of it."

"By doing what? Telling Maxwell? He doesn't seem to be too interested in what happens around here.'

"That’s why you need to go back to Morhan for a few days, maybe a week at the most. Please, Lena."

***

Xander seemed fine, despite the fact that the night before he had passed out cold, crushing me, and requiring rescue from Henry and Bethany.

I was standing in the warehouse, my arms crossed over my chest as I watched him prepare the slide of blood root. He'd scraped some of the dried powder off his bandages.