Sold AS The alpha King's Breeder

Chapter 820

Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder Chapter 820

Chapter 31 : Play the Game

I watched Aeris over the rim of my wine glass. He was dressed almost casually in a vest and white shirt, his thick golden hair and beard trimmed, but still slightly ruffled. He wasn’t a terrible-looking man by any means. Those eyes were strange, yes. But he was handsome, and he had a rather friendly face.

But I could see the strain and frustration behind his eyes as he cut into his steak and forked a piece of it into his mouth. He’d be surprised when I was the only one who showed up to dinner in his formal dining room, which he’d obviously taken great lengths to decorate with hot-house flowers and a dinner spread meant for an Alpha King.

But it was uncomfortably intimate with just the two of us.

“Play the game,” I’d been told by Jared.

Why me? What the hell were those men up to, anyway?

“What a pleasure it is to have you alone for an evening, darling,” he mused, tilting his wine glass against his lips.

I blinked at him for a moment, barely registering what he’d just said as I was so lost in thought, but gave him a tight smile nonetheless.

“Were you expecting company?” I asked, waving my hand in a short circle.

“Your companions, of course. I had something I wanted to discuss with Jared.”

“Ah,” I smiled, rolling my eyes. “Jared is quite ill. Archer and Brandt are useless without his direction. I do appreciate having you alone, however. I didn’t want to waste the opportunity to thank you for allowing me access to your vault. Jared isn’t nearly as interested in these things as I am.” A lie, of course.

“And how did you find it?”

I took a deep breath against the flush of unease rippling over my skin. How did I find his vault? Or how did I find the Cryptex?

Surely he knew Jared was looking for it, especially if he knew Jared as well as he said he did.

“A bit… messy,” I replied, flashing him what I hoped was a charming smile. “Tell me, how did you come across so many jewels?”

That was exactly what he wanted to hear from me. He wanted to prove I had no interest in the artifacts and books scattered haphazardly around the vault. He wanted to prove that I was just some bright- eyed, submissive female who could be bought for the right price.

Play the game, I told myself over and over. Keep him occupied.

But I wasn’t entirely sure what game Jared was wanting me to play.

“You like jewels, then?”

“Oh, yes. What woman doesn’t?” I batted my eyelashes at him, which he seemed to adore.

His face softened a bit as he grinned and poured us both another serving of wine.

“Did you find anything in particular you liked the best? I could take you there after dinner. You can have whatever you like.”

I wanted the books… the scrolls… the artifacts, even the broken ones.

“That’s not necessary, but thank you,” I replied, forcing myself to blush. “Jared keeps me well supplied and paid, I assure you.”

“But as a gift–”

I shook my head, sipping my wine.

Aeris pursed his lips, looking somewhat annoyed as he glanced at the door to the dining room.

“Are you expecting someone else?” I asked, my stomach tying in a knot.

“Yes, actually. It’s rather odd that he’s not here.” Aeris turned back to me, studying my face for a moment.

I prayed to whoever was listening that my expression was neutral.

“He?” The rat-faced man who’d hit me in the head with a bat, I guessed. I also guessed that that was exactly the business Jared was taking care of tonight, probably finishing the job.

I exhaled through my nose, draining the rest of my wine. Aeris absentee refilled my wine glass. The wine was already turning my cheeks a ruddy pink. I could feel it. I told myself to stop, to not drink anymore. I was more likely to get “mouthy” with some liquid courage, which is exactly what Jared had told me not to do, but….

“Do you really believe I’m the breeder your brother Ambrose bought at the auction?”

Aeris choked on his wine, his eyes watering. I arched my brows, swirling my wine as I watched him compose himself.

“My dear–”

“It’s rather offensive, Alpha,” I said curtly, lingering and drawing out the word Alpha with a hint of annoyance that made his face twist with shock. “I am high born. My father is likely rolling over in his grave right now knowing his daughter is being accused as such.”

“What I don’t understand,” he began, his tone sharpened to an edge, “is what you’re doing with the likes of Jared if any of that is true?”

“I already told you,” I said innocently. “I’m cataloging his–”

“Do you know what he is?” he asked, his eyes like frosted amber as he ran his finger in a line across the table. “Who he is?”

I waved my hand in dismissal, shaking my head. “A Dark Lord? Of course.”

“The Dark Lord,” he corrected. “The true heir to the throne of Egoren.”

My chest squeezed as I caught the look of pure, unadulterated menace flash behind his eyes. What the hell had he meant by that?

My confusion must have shown on my face plain as day because he smiled, continuing, “Many Alphas of the west are interested in overthrowing King Alexander now that he brought home a White Queen from the Realm of Light as his bride. The Luna of Egoren, a White Queen, can you believe it? Lycaon’s most hated enemy was a White Queen… the reason he brought our people to this sacred place. I’ve even heard rumors she is masquerading as the Moon Goddess reincarnate! What a travesty. King Alexander should be hung by the castle walls with his wife and their children for such treachery, and I’m not the only one who feels that way.”

I was fighting for breath as much as I was fighting for a response.

“Jared won’t consider leading our forces to the capitol and overthrowing his brother,” Aeris sighed before drinking deeply from his wine glass. “But maybe… you and I can strike a deal. What do you say? Our forces are ready to invade. Jared just needs to give the order. You can go, freed from my possession, if Jared agrees to take his rightful place–”

“N-no–”

“No?” he laughed, furrowing his brow. An awkward silence settled over the table as he tapped his fingers on his glass. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. He’s-he’s not the brother–” I stuttered, Aeris’s breathy sigh cutting through my words.

“The hard way, then,” he sighed, rolling his eyes. “My friend who was supposed to come to dinner tonight had some interesting information about you, Eliza. I find it hard to believe a woman such as yourself is a product of being raised this far west, or even in this realm at all. Even with a more… progressive father. You are far too educated and ill-mannered to be a high-bred lady from any of my neighboring territories, which leads me to believe I am correct in my assumption that you are, in fact, nothing more than a whore.”

“How dare–”

“Did you know that someone on the trading vessel was kept alive for questioning by the pirates who boarded it? They tortured him for days.” Aeris grinned, pouring himself another glass of wine. His lips and teeth were stained red now, making him look like some unearthly creature sent from hell to set me on edge. “He mentioned a girl had snuck aboard and only gave her name when the captain of the ship was about to turn the boat around and take her back to the port. This man is still alive, and will arrive in my territory very soon to confirm you are who I think you are.”

I chewed the inside of my lower lip, keeping my eyes fixed on his despite the fear tightening my throat.

“He described you, just like the man from the breeder auction had… the curls, the blue-green eyes… that filthy mouth and hot temper!”

I sucked in my breath and tilted my chin toward the ceiling in preparation for whatever fight was coming my way. Filthy mouth? He’d hadn’t seen anything yet, that was for damn sure.

“You’re mine by law, and I’m not letting you leave. That’s final. I want boys out of you, a few of them.” He threw his napkin on the table, motioning to me as he rose to his feet. “Lift your skirts and bend over. We’re doing this now.”

“How dare you speak to me in such a way!” I shouted, rising from the table.

I slammed my wine glass down, shattering the stem of the glass and slicing open the palm of my hand. Fear ripped the air from my lungs as Aeris began to loosen his belt, his knuckles white with tension.

“The only man who can command me to do anything is my husband,” I sneered, clenching my injured hand into a bloody fist as I backed away from him. “You are not my Alpha, and I am not your breeder. I am your GUEST.”

“Your husband?”

Well, that caught him off-guard. I hadn’t meant to say it. I didn’t know why I had. But there was no going back now.

“Of course,” I sniffed, screwing my face into a scowl. “Jared.” I took a step back, noticing the unfiltered fury coloring his face.

“You’re lying,” he hissed, straightening to his full height.

“Ask him,” I croaked, desperately trying to keep my voice level. I might have taken this too far, but what else could I say?

He bared his teeth at me, looking absolutely feral.

I turned and darted for the door, sure he was hot on my heels. But he hadn’t followed. My shoes clacked against the marble floor as I ran for our wing of the castle, little droplets of blood falling from my hand.

s**t, s**t, s**t.

***

I was shaking with mingled shock and fury as Brandt deftly wound a bandage around my hand. Jared was pacing back and forth across his bedroom, his arms crossed and head bent as he mulled over my retelling of what had happened over dinner.

Brandt tied the bandage a little too tight, pinching my skin.

“Ouch!” I hissed, swatting him away. Tears welled in my eyes as I took a choking breath. “Why the hell did you make me do that? Why send me there alone?”

“We were a bit busy,” Archer replied, his voice graveling like he’d recently bitten down on his tongue.

All of the men looked like hell and were covered in mud and soaked with rain. Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

“What exactly were you up to while I was fighting for my life? Hm?” I spat, rage blurring my senses.

Jared stopped pacing and gave Archer an exhausted glance, shaking his head as if commanding him not to tell me.

“Start talking, now!”

Jared turned his gaze to me, his eyes shining in the firelight. No one spoke.

I heaved a breath, running my tongue over my bottom teeth as I shook my head.

“It doesn’t matter. We’re leaving tomorrow,” he said, breaking the uncomfortable silence as I continued to recover from my shock.

“What exactly are you trying to accomplish here, Jared? Do you know what he told me? He said you were the Alpha King’s brother, and that he wanted you to overthrow the King because you’re the rightful heir to the throne. He wanted to make a deal with me so you’d do it. He said he’d let me go if you agreed. This is all too much.”

I expected him to be shocked and offended, but he only looked at me, his face void of expression.

“And what did you say to that?”

“I said no, of course. Because you’re not–you’re not the Alpha King’s brother.” I didn’t sound all that convinced of it myself. I looked at him like I was seeing him for the first time, remembering how I’d found him so familiar when we first met… the eyes, the golden skin… the hair.

I flushed, my heart beginning to thunder in my chest. But before I could summon the courage to ask if it was true, he took a step toward me, furrowing his brow.

“Then what happened?”

“He told me he had proof I was on the boat. He has a witness, apparently.”

“We killed his witness. Lou, the man from the breeder auction, and his cronies. That’s what we were doing. We just got rid of his body,” Archer said so casually it made me sick to my stomach.

“He has another witness, someone from the boat, someone who could identify me.”

“And?” Jared said, and while his face remained a mask of calm reserve, his eyes were alight with apprehension despite his best efforts to hide it.

I pursed my lips into a tight line.

“I told him you were my husband.”

A hush fell over the room, broken a few seconds later by a choking laugh from Archer.

“Why would you say that?” Jared asked, his tone clipped and deathly serious.

I opened my mouth to explain in whatever way I could, but it was Brandt who spoke next.

“That’s brilliant,” he murmured, his blue eyes glassy as he lost himself in thought for a moment.

“What?” Jared snarled, his eyes settling on Brandt for a moment before turning back to me.

I felt a wave of heat rush down my spine as he held my gaze.

“That’s–that’s actually how we’re going to get her out of here, Jared… marriage… a marriage contract.”