Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder novel Chapter 849

Chapter 55 : Things Left Unsaid

*Eliza*

I'd simply unlocked Abel's door and walked away, not bothering to shut it behind me. I was not making any more deals or bargains with the men in this realm, not anymore… never again.

My footsteps echoed through the house as I climbed the grand stone staircase to the second story. I passed a maid who was bustling by, a basket of laundry clutched to her chest. She gave me a kind smile and a bob of her head as she passed, tilting her head down the hallway from which she'd come to where a door was slightly ajar, light spilling into the darkness.

I glanced back at the staircase, half expecting Abel to be hot on my heels, but he wasn't.

I walked into our room, finding Scarlett sitting up in the bed, her knees tucked into her chest. The hair around her face was damp, and her brow was gleaming with sweat. Her cheeks burned a deep crimson as she slowly looked up at me, shivering.

“What happened?" I said with force, slamming the door and locking it behind me before hurrying over to her.

She pulled her legs into her chest until she was as small as possible, her eyes welling with tears. I could feel… heat coming off of her, like she was burning with a fever.

“The man with the scar… he came in and asked me a bunch of questions. I couldn't stop–stop talking. I answered everything he asked. I don't know why, but I just couldn't lie to him or refuse to answer. His eyes were just… I couldn't look away from him even if I tried."

I narrowed my eyes as I scanned her for injuries, my own cheeks flaming with sudden fury. Of course… this made sense. Abel separated us on purpose. I should have seen something like this coming, but I'd been a fly in his web of lies and manipulation.

“Did he hurt you?"

She shook her head, clutching her legs.

“He said I can see my son tomorrow. He said he believed me. He believed when I told him about the Alpha who bought me… I told him everything, Eliza, every detail. I couldn't stop. I asked him to let–to let me stop talking–"

“What do you mean?"

She looked at me, her eyes blurred by tears.

“He had some power over me. It… it felt like magic. I could taste it."

I could almost taste the magic she was talking about. The memory of that metallic tang coating my mouth was forever etched into my mind after my experience with the witch. I stared at her for a moment, then gently rested my hand on her shoulder. She leaned into me, whimpering.

“I've never talked about it to anyone before," she whispered against my shoulder.

“I'm so sorry," I whispered, meaning every word. I closed my eyes and held her until her whimpering quieted and she slowly laid down, her tears staining her pillow.

“I get to see him tomorrow," she whispered. “They're going to let me see him."

“They're going to let us take him home tomorrow," I breathed, pulling the covers over her.

She was still blazing hot, which worried me. I wasn't sure what Lock was, but if he had powers like this… powers that could make people tell him things they hadn't wanted to share....

I ground my teeth as I laid the back of my fingers over her temple.

I'd say something to Abel about this tomorrow, among other things. And I wasn't going to be nice about it, not at all.

Sometime later I curled into bed beside her, the room cast in blue-hued shadows as a full moon illuminated the room. I found myself on edge as the hours ticked by, unable to sleep. I was sure someone would come into the room, whether it be Abel or Lock or someone else, I didn't know....

I closed my eyes just as the sky began to turn a rich violet.

***

I refused to come down for breakfast. Scarlett stayed behind as well, pacing in front of the windows as we waited, and waited, and waited for someone to come and fetch us.

A breakfast tray appeared in the late morning with a note from Abel himself.

“Please?" it said, with a sad face and a broken heart scribbled next to the word.

“Who the f**k does this guy think he is?" I muttered, crumpling up the note and throwing it into the fireplace.

“What?" Scarlett asked, wringing her hands together. “What do you mean?"

“He took me to his bedroom last night after dinner–"

“What?" she hissed.

I gave her a look, rolling my eyes as I slumped into an armchair.

“Nothing happened, of course. He wants me to help him convince Jared to ally with him against Aeris in lieu of the ransom."

That's exactly what he'd asked of me after he said something could be “arranged." I'd expected him to ask me to sleep with him, and found the actual deal more shocking than the latter.

“I thought Jared and Abel were enemies?"

“So did I, but something is… off." I tapped my fingers against my knees. I sighed, sinking a little lower into the armchair. “I kind of feel like Abel might… miss Jared."

“Miss him?"

“Yeah, actually. He had this look in his eyes when he talked about him, I can't really explain it. Abel's actually really nice. I like him. I guess he beat up Jared and left the village–"

“They were both being considered as the leader of the crew after Rhett died," Scarlett said slowly, turning to look out the window again.

I'd heard of Rhett. There was a portrait of him in the library at Jared's house. He'd been a handsome middle-aged man when the portrait was painted, with dark hair and blue eyes.

“Rhett said it would be between the two of them on his dying breath, apparently. It was several years before I came to the village, actually. Half of the crew wanted Jared, and the other half wanted Abel. It took years to decide it for sure and, well… that's all I know."

“That doesn't sound so bad–"

There was a sharp knock on the door. We turned to face the door just as it opened. I sat bolt upright, gripping the armrests as Lock stepped into the room.

I'd never seen him without the hood of his cloak shielding his face. I could see that he was once a handsome man, but not anymore, not with that scar that ran from temple to opposite cheek blurring the sharp planes of his face.

“You're to meet Abel outside in an hour, and he will take you to your son," he said directly to Scarlett, who was frighteningly pale as she held his gaze.

I leaned forward in my chair, looking him up and down. His eyes shifted to mine, narrowing on me. I glared right back, holding his gaze until he backed out of the room and closed the door behind him.

“An hour," Scarlett whispered, turning back to the window. “That feels like a lifetime and… too soon, all at the same time."

“When was the last time you saw him?" I asked, knowing it was a risk.

She looked down at her feet, sighing audibly. “I haven't. They took him away right after he was born. I didn't even get to hold him."

My heart shattered around her words.

“He won't remember me," she whispered. “There's no way he could possibly remember who I am to him."

“My great aunt was a breeder," I said softly, meeting her eyes as she turned around. “Do you want to hear the story while we wait?"

***

It was a bright, sunny day when we stepped out of Abel's house and walked into the village center. Abel was walking a few paces in front of us, occasionally looking over his shoulder at me as we followed him into the village.

“Did you get my note?" he said softly, glancing from me to Scarlett, who was lost in her thoughts with her eyes downcast on her shoes.

“Yes, and my answer is no. Whatever this is, it's between you and Jared."

Abel frowned, turning away from me as we approached a wide, wooden building on the other side of the square.

He'd just opened the door to usher us inside when a warrior ran up to him, whispering frantically in his ear. Abel's brows shot up, then he relaxed, shutting the door firmly before motioning for us to go back up to the house.

“What–" I began, but then noticed the men running toward the wall.

I followed their movements, glancing up at the top of the wall where warriors were stalking back and forth, shouting at whatever was happening in the fields that lay beyond the village.

“What's happening?" Scarlett said quickly, grabbing my arm.

“Sounds like we have more guests." Abel tucked his hands behind his back and nodded at the men that ran by, some of them now funneling through the door leading outside of the wall. “What a treat."

“Who?" I barked, but Abel started walking away, toward the wall. I followed. “Hey!"

Through the open door, I could see a battle taking place in the distance, the fray distorted by the swaying golden grass.

But then Jared was just beyond the door, taking a man by the shoulders and headbutting the man so hard he slumped to the ground.

Jared stepped through the threshold, panting, his eyes wide and full of violence.

“Do you want to explain what the f**k you're doing here?" he snarled, pointing an accusatory finger at me.

I blinked at him, then let the hurt I'd been hiding for days shine clear on my face.

Several days in the Dark Forest had dulled the pain of his rejection and abandonment, sure. I had to be the protector instead of the one needing protection for once, and I'd let it wholly consume me until it was all I could think about. I had to keep Scarlett safe. I had to reunite her with her son. I had to kill that rogue. I had to be tough.

I had to be tough. I had to be. I had to–

“f**k you, Jared," I said, my voice cracking with emotion as I turned away from him and walked over to Scarlett, who was standing, shellshocked, her eyes focused on the four men now staring after us… after me.

I glanced over my shoulder at Archer, Brandt, and Abel, who were all staring at me in shock. Abel looked especially confused, looking between me and Jared with his brow c****d and hands tucked casually in his pockets.

“Mates, huh?" Abel said to Jared, chuckling lightly. Jared exhaled deeply, eyes darkening on Abel and then on me. “I wouldn't have taken her to my room last night had I known–"

I closed my eyes to the sound of violence coming from the group… a group of old friends, from what I'd heard.

I didn't know what kind of game Abel was playing, but what he was doing was causing a distraction, that was obvious.

“Will you come with me?" Scarlett asked in the smallest voice I'd ever heard.

I nodded, knitting my hand in hers as we turned toward the stone building behind us and walked through the door.

Jared and I would talk later, we had to.

There was so much left unsaid.