Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder novel Chapter 646

Chapter 146 : Reunion

*Lena*

Abigail had spent the last two hours bossing me and Elaine around as we snipped roses in the front garden, filling heaping baskets of roses and whatever other blooms we could find in the garden. Elaine gave me a look as Abigail slowly went through each basket, pulling out what she must have thought were prized flowers based on the judging look on her face, and placing them in clear vases of water and some special solution to keep them full and perky until the wedding reception.

My fingers were raw and shriveled from wearing gardening gloves all afternoon. I tossed the gloves on the bistro table in the sunroom and unstrapped the baby carrier from my chest, lifting Alexis out of her cozy nap spot that had left my shirt damp with sweat. Alexis's legs were still reflexively tucked into her stomach, her little fingers curling into fists as she blinked into the soft sun filtering through the windows and grimaced.

“Oh, goodness gracious," I cooed, patting her on the back as I comforted her against my shoulder. When she started to try to suckle on the strap of my tank top, I promptly sat down and gave her what she was truly looking for.

“She is so freaking cute," Elaine grinned as she sat opposite me at the table overlooking the front garden. All of the windows were open, but there was no cool breeze to be had. It was absolutely stifling today.

I reached up to wipe a bead of sweat from my brow, wanting nothing more than a cool shower and maybe something iced to drink. As if I'd summoned her, a maid walked in carrying a tray of cookies, sandwiches, and a giant glass pitcher of lemonade full of ice and fresh lemons, the glass frosted and cool to the touch.

All three of us sighed with relief and thanked her profusely as the maid set the tray on the table.

“Luna Hanna wanted me to let you know that she can take Princess Alexis for a while if you need free hands," the maid said sweetly as she poured me a glass of lemonade.

I looked down at Alexis, who was staring up at me with a skeptical expression on her face. She'd finally started waking up a bit over the last few days, giving Xander and me our first real clue about her eye color. They were fading from a deep navy black to a pale blue, like my father's.

She stopped nursing, her mouth trembling for a moment as I gently stroked her perfectly round cheeks with my finger.

“What do you say? Do you want to go see your grandma?"

Alexis unlatched, her eyes still firmly fixed on mine, looking at me like she just noticed I was more than just a pair of boobs.

I nuzzled her cheek, burped her, and kissed her on the forehead before handing her to the maid, who cradled Alexis in her arms and cooed as she turned to leave the sunroom, her hips swaying as she rocked Alexis.

“She looks just like Xander to me," Elaine said as she poured herself a huge glass of lemonade, then one for Abigail, who was still busy preparing the roses. “It's the hair. I can't believe she was born with all of that!"

“Dad told me it's going to fall out," I playfully pouted, crossing my fingers under the table in an attempt to stop that from happening.

“It's perfectly normal," Abigail clipped, giving me a smug glance. “What color was your hair when you were born, Lena?"

“White. Whiter than it is now, actually," I replied, popping a piece of ice into my mouth and holding it there. Goddess, it was hotter than hell. There was a fan in the sunroom, but it seemed to just be blowing hot air all over us instead of keeping the room cool.

“You were born with your hair like this?" Elaine gasped, furrowing her brow. “I thought only a White Queen who summoned the power of the Goddess had white hair. It's like a rite of passage–"

“I am the Goddess," I said with a little laugh.

The words felt strange leaving my mouth, however. I'd only ever said it in my head, usually when I was trying to convince myself that whatever I was planning to do was a good idea.

“And white hair is a mark of impending death for a White Queen," Abigail added.

Elaine nodded, raising her brows as she looked at her twin.

“But your grandma is still very much alive," Elaine noted, and I nodded, dropping an ice cube between my breasts and sighing with relief.

Elaine giggled, and Abigail rolled her eyes. Abigail was also sweating profusely, but I knew she'd never admit to either of us that she was uncomfortable.

“We don't have to sit in here–" I began, but Abigail gave me a sharp look, motioning toward the roses.

“They're used to heat after being outside. They will wilt if I bring them out of the sun–"

“Okay, okay!" I laughed.

Abigail exhaled through her nose, nostrils flaring as she turned back to her work.

“We could help you," said Elaine, but Abigail shook her head, waving the offer away. “She is very serious about her work–"

“I heard that!"

“It's true," I said to them both, giving Abigail a grateful smile as I raised my glass of lemonade in a toast to her skills. “I expect the castle in Egoren to be full of flower arrangements day in and day out."

“Speaking of Egoren," Abigail said as she trimmed a thorn-covered rose stem with her bare hands, “Are you going to… use your degree at all?"

I sighed, narrowing my eyes at Abigail as I adjusted my weight in the bistro chair, my thighs sticking to the seat. I knew this conversation was coming. Abigail might be married to the Alpha King's Beta, but Xander had already filled me in on the crusade she had started back in Egoren before they returned to the realm of light. She'd laid out designs for a full renovation of the castle's gardens, which went on for acres.

I hadn't even seen the castle that I'd soon be calling home, but based on what I knew about Xander, I was sure it was just fine. Xander liked nice clothes and was well-kempt. I was sure his home was just as well maintained as he was.

“It's the creepiest place I've ever been in my life–thorn bushes everywhere, dark corners, you name it. Adrian says the castle is haunted."

“I'm sure he was just messing with you," Elaine retorted, noticing the look of concern flashing across my face.

“What do you mean haunted?"

“Like, ghosts, Lena. Adrian and I have a suite on the far side of the castle. I did some exploring while I was there and got desperately lost, first of all. Secondly, I swore someone was walking up behind me one day when I was walking back to our quarters, but when I turned around, no one was there!"

“Oh, please," Elaine groaned, waving her hand in dismissal. “Come eat some, Abi. You're losing your mind!"

I wasn't afraid of ghosts. The castle we were sitting in right now likely had ghosts creeping around at night, based on how old it was. But the castle in Egoren sounded… huge. So did the realm, for that matter. And I was about to be the Luna of all of it.

“Xander wants me to do some research into the differences between the flora in the Realm of Light and his realm. He told me he could hire a team of researchers to help me do it," I said, changing the subject away from the creepy castle I was going to be living in sooner rather than later.

Abigail opened her mouth to reply, but then her brow furrowed as she gazed out the window, her mouth hanging slightly ajar.

“No f*****g way," she gasped, setting her clippers down on the table where she'd laid out all of the roses.

“What?" Elaine and I said in unison as we turned to look out into the front garden.

A warrior was waving his hands wildly, then pointed an accusing finger at whoever he was speaking to. It was two people, actually, and I sucked in my breath as the first person came into view, pointing her finger right back at the warrior.

Abigail and I darted out of the sunroom, Elaine looking thoroughly confused as we ran through the door leading back to the front garden.

“You cannot be on the grounds–"

“Bring your comrades out, I dare you!" Heather snapped, her face reddened with fury.

“Stop!" I cried, trying not to laugh as the warrior whirled around, bobbing his head in a hasty bow in my direction.

Heather let out her breath, her eyes misting with tears as she threw open her arms and Abigail and I tackled her to the ground, dragging Viv down with us.

***

“We were still on campus when it happened," Viv said, swirling her wine glass.

Xander and Adrian were listening intently as we all sat on the back patio enjoying each other's company and the cool night air. “We were just sitting at home and this… alarm started going off. The power went out, and suddenly–" Viv paled, glancing at Heather.

“Warriors were all over the place. We didn't know what to do. It was a few days before anyone knew what was going on for sure." Heather shifted her weight in her chair, a withdrawn look in her eyes. “We'd been in the apartment for a full day, two nights… that second night one of our neighbors knocked on our door, needing help. There was a warrior dying in the stairwell. I went down to help, and he told us everything."

“Vampires, can you believe it?" Viv breathed.

Adrian and Xander glanced at each other before they settled back in their seats, looking slightly uncomfortable. Xander reached over and took my hand, knitting his fingers in mine while he sipped a beer in his other hand.

“How'd you end up fighting, Viv?" Adrian asked.

Abigail walked out of the castle with a fresh round of beers and another bottle of wine. I was sticking to lemonade, nursing the glass I'd been working on for over an hour. Alexis was sleeping soundly upstairs, but I knew she'd be waking soon to nurse. I wanted to hear the rest of their story, however. I needed to know.

“We tended to the injured warrior until daybreak, and then we, along with some of the tenants in the building, went out to try to find some help. Heather and I ended up in a war camp, and we were asked if we were… able to fight. They were desperate. We signed up immediately."

“Viv and I were given weapons and sent out into the city at nightfall," Heather said solemnly. “That was the night–the night Morhan University was attacked. It was… it was Hell, you guys. I don't know how else to explain it."

A hush fell over the group. All of us had been students there. At that moment, it didn't matter that Adrian and Xander had been faking it. They'd had friends there. They'd sat around the fountain and chatted with their peers. They'd walked through those halls, gone to the same parties we had.

Heather sucked in her breath, her eyes glistening with tears. “The dorm for the first-year students was under attack. I could hear them screaming. We'd all been told to stay in our homes. There was no order to evacuate, not in Morhan. Now I know that Morhan was one of the first cities to be attacked, but I was angry about it for a long time. I still am. Some of the other warriors started torching the campus. Viv and I were with another small team of civilians and warriors who were trying to clear out the people stuck in the dorms. We had to fight our way in to save those first years. We couldn't get to them all." Heather hung her head, and Abigail moved toward her, wrapping her arms around her.

Viv swallowed, her eyes totally and completely dry. She was looking out over the back garden, her eyes focused on nothing and everything all at once. I realized, as I squeezed Xander's hand, that our sweet, innocent Viviene was gone. Troy had told me that she'd fought. She'd become a warrior.

I had a hard time believing him at the time. But looking at her now, I could see it. I believed it.

“I fought in Breles," she said, a distant look in her eyes. “Then I was transferred up north. Heather was injured in Morhan and joined the healers working in the northern camps. We've been living in Red Lakes for a few weeks now. Your aunt Kacidra found us, Lena. She gave us the wedding invitations."

“I didn't know where you were," I said through tears. Viv turned to me, and I saw the ghost of a smile touch her lips. “But I heard you were likely up north."

“It feels like it was all a dream," she breathed. “Now we're here. You and Xander are getting married, which is just… I remember the day Heather burst into the coffee shop and told us he was asking about you–"

Heather choked a laugh, her mouth stretching into a smile.

“And you had a baby? You have a baby upstairs! We're alive. We're alive! We f*****g made it."

I looked around the patio, taking in the faces of my roommates. We'd been through everything together the last three, almost four years.

Xander put his arm around my shoulder, pulling me close.

“Do you think Morhan is going to give me my tuition back for this past semester?" Viv asked after a moment, a teasing smile touching her lips.

Heather and Abigail laughed, as did Adrian, throwing his head back and nearly spilling his beer.

Xander leaned his head against mine as the conversation took on a lighter tone. I sat in awe, unable to contribute, lost in my own thoughts.

We were okay. We were alive. And we were together again.