Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder novel Chapter 631

Chapter 131 : The Ambassador

*Lena*

Xander planted a rough, hungry kiss on my lips and any shyness or apprehension vanished in an instant.

“I missed you," he said into my neck as I continued to clutch him against me, my fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt.

“How long have you been in Mirage?" I asked when I finally pulled away to look up at him. He was clean-shaven and dressed in casual trousers and a button-down shirt, with a white undershirt beneath. He looked more like a random resident of Mirage than an Alpha King, but I was more than okay with that. I reached up involuntarily and ran my fingers through his black curls, which were brushed back away from his face. He'd gotten a haircut since the last time I saw him. He looked.... Well, he looked so much healthier, and happier, since we'd parted ways after the war.

“Only a few hours," he replied, leaning down to press a kiss to my forehead. “I'm on my way to meet with someone, actually–"

“Meet with someone?" I laughed, pushing away from him. “Was that someone not me?"

“Well, I had to meet with them first, and they're on my way to the castle," he smiled with a shrug. “I didn't expect to run into you, but I'm glad I did. I think you should go with me."

He took my hand and began to lead me away, drinking deeply from the lemonade I'd bought for Mom.

“Who is it?" I asked.

“The ambassador for the vampires who are settling in the east," he replied. I halted, an uneasy feeling settling in my stomach.

“What?"

He turned to face me again, and I could tell by the look in his eyes that he totally understood my hesitation.

“There are a lot of them," he began, “and some, especially the families with children, have expressed the desire to spread out. There were four kingdoms of lower vampires, and they don't all get along, as well as those who had been enslaved by the king for… centuries. There's just not enough room in Crimson Creek for all of them, and your dad is planning on relocating some of the families to Mirage."

“My dad? You saw him?"

“I did," he said, blowing out his breath. “He doesn't like me very much, but I told him I'd check in on the ambassador. The vampires will start arriving at the end of the summer, from what I've been told. Winter Forest has also offered to accept at least three dozen families…"

He continued to talk as we started walking again. How hadn't I known this was happening? Mom knew, surely. She had to have known.

It wasn't that I was unaccepting of the idea that vampires would be living close by. The lower vampires were a totally different type of people compared to the Death Walkers who had battled against the allied forces for weeks. They were… good, at least the ones I'd met and grown to love.

But something was nagging at me as we walked through Old Town.

We stopped in front of an unassuming stone cottage along a cobblestone road. It had white-washed window frames and baskets of flowers hanging near the doorframe. A bistro table and chairs sat outside, basking in the shade that was filtering through the shade of several magnolia trees.

But thick curtains were drawn behind the windows, to keep the light out.

My heart was in my throat when Xander knocked on the door. It opened a crack, and whoever was behind it paused for a moment before opening the door wide enough for us to see who was behind it.

My mouth popped open, and I closed it immediately, raising my eyebrows at the tall vampire male who stood in the doorway.

“Lincoln," I said, and he nodded at me, a ghost of a smile touching his lips.

***

I could hear Xander and Lincoln speaking in low tones around the corner. They were sitting in the snug kitchen at a breakfast table, and every once in a while I heard the sound of paper rustling.

Carly stretched her arms over her head then snuggled deeper into the floral couch were sitting on. I looked down at the baby she'd placed in my arms, his cheek resting against the curve of my stomach as he made little suckling motions with his mouth in his sleep. He was beautiful, fat and healthy with a healthy head of dark hair. Carly sighed as she looked down at him, a soft smile touching her lips.

“Caleb was my father's name," she smiled weakly, meeting my eyes. “My mom says he looks just like me when I was a baby."

Carly had recently been reunited with her mother, who was living with them in the cottage but was out running errands. I could see the sadness behind Carly's eyes when she mentioned her father, and my heart squeezed with regret. If we'd found her sooner....

“You want to know what happened, right?" she said, meeting my eye.

I nodded, unable to form a vocal reply. I adjusted little Caleb's weight in my arms and settled into a comfortable position on the couch. I had a feeling this was going to be a long story.