Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

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Chapter 84: Fathers and Sons

Troy

Ernest threw his arms around me, embracing me in a rib cracking hug. I had been, of course, speechless

when I saw Gemma on the night of our arrival in Winter Forest and at the news that they had not only

both survived, but had a child in our absence. Seeing Ernest in the flesh was even better than the news,

however. And I found myself rattling off about our adventure before remembering we had an audience.

Talon, Ernest’s father, and Ethan’s prior Beta, was watching Ernest and me closely.

Ethan was pacing back and forth in front of the ceiling-height windows in the library in the White Queen’s

Castle, a space the family rarely used. Part of the castle was a school now, and another section had

been converted into apartments for the single warriors of the pack.

Ethan’s office was too small to house all of us men, and there was absolutely no privacy in the house

with the amount of family roaming about.

So, we closed ourselves into the library, the door locking in place, holding me captive.

“And Maeve, she’s due soon, then?” Ernest asked with nothing but pure joy in his eyes.

“A few weeks left to go, but the midwife that came with us to the south, Cleo, said she was likely to go

early. Any day now, it seems.

Maeve is miserable!” | replied, unable to stop myself from smiling.

“Why? Is everything alright?” Ernest looked concerned, but I waved my hand in dismissal.

“Twins,”

“TWINS?” Rowan roared from the opposite end of the room, closing the book he’d been skimming

through while we were waiting for Ethan to finish whatever he was doing.

Ernest looked shocked, but then laughed, clapping me on the shoulder. “No one can say you weren’t a

successful breeder-” Ernest’s voice was, unfortunately, not a whisper.

Talon loudly cleared his throat, and the three of us younger men quieted immediately as we caught

Ethan’s stone-cold gaze.

“Too soon?” Rowan murmured, which made Ernest flush a vivid pink.

“Are you serious about this, Ernest?” Ethan said, ignoring our remarks. He slammed his open hand on

the long table we’d gathered around, his hand pressing a piece of paper against the waxed surface.

“L… I am,” Ernest said, swallowing hard and squaring his shoulders. “I am sure.”

“And you, Talon? This is not what I expected from either of you!”

I took a step away from Ernest, sensing the anger beginning to radiate off of Ethan. Rowan and I were

now shoulder to shoulder, watching with interest as Talon nodded his head.

“I agree with Ernest’s decision. I think he’s making the right

choice.”

“Giving up his title?” Ethan bit out.

Rowan went totally rigid, his breath catching in his throat. I fought the urge to nudge him to encourage

him to start breathing again, but that was hit with the same realization he had come to.

If Ernest was giving up his title of Alpha of Drogomor…

“Wait just a minute-” Rowan said as he stepped forward.

Ethan raised his hand, silencing Rowan, and turned his gaze back to Ernest.

“Why? You realize this will leave you without a title, a title your son would inherit?”

“That’s not important to me. I’ve discussed it in length with Gemma. We… Uncle Ethan, we don’t want to

leave. We both felt it the second we finally made it here, that we were home. Gemma died in Mirage. She

doesn’t want to go back. I don’t want her to go back.”

“She would be Luna-” Ethan said, cutting Ernest off.

“She doesn’t want that, Uncle Ethan. I don’t want that for her. We want George to… to grow up with

parents who have time for him. We want him to have friends, and a community where he’s not ostracized

for being a royal. We want what you built here with Rosalie. A home, not a castle.”

Ernest was gripping the back of one of the chairs that lined the table, his eyes focused intently on Ethan.

“I became Alpha because that was the only life I knew. I never thought I’d find my mate or have children.

Gemma changed that for me. Everything is different now. Besides, it was always meant to be temporary,

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remember?”

Ethan flexed his jaw, considering Ernest’s words but he did not respond. He glanced over at Rowan, who

was standing like a statue next to me, his eyes focused on the windows and the snow falling outside.

“The title is Rowan’s birthright.” Talon pulled one of the chairs from the table and sat down, calm and

collected. Ernest nodded, glancing at Rowan, who was still looking out the window.

“You have to let me go, Dad,” Rowan whispered.

I doubted anyone but me heard it.

Ethan flexed his hands, then picked up the piece of paper, folding it and tucking it into the pocket of his

jacket. “We’ll talk about this another time.”

Rowan moved his gaze from the window to Ethan, and I saw a flash of disappointment behind his eyes.

I knew nothing about fathers and sons, but I knew there was an unspoken conflict between Ethan and

Rowan, something that had been brewing for a long time. Ethan was, for whatever reason, holding

Rowan back.

Ernest shifted uncomfortably before taking a seat next to Talon, while Rowan and I remained standing.

I felt Ethan’s eyes on me, and slowly returned his gaze.

“I’m not who you were expecting, right?” I said, unable to stop the words from falling from my lips. Talon

blinked up at me, and Ernest bit the inside of his lip to stop himself from smiling. “You were expecting

someone like Romero, I’m guessing. Not me.”

Ethan was motionless, expressionless. This was the big meeting, I

thought. This is when he was going to sit me down and rip me to shreds.

“Who raised you?” Ethan’s tone was cold, meaning to cut me.

“No one,” I said honestly, leaning forward as I placed my hands on the top of one of the chairs. I was

sore from riding the snowmobile up and down the mountain, sore in places where I didn’t know it was

possible. I worried if I sat down, I wouldn’t be able to get up again. “Behar was my father’s name-”

“We know that.” Ethan crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back in his chair. “Was he the one who

raised you, Troy? Is he still alive? The last we heard, he had died before you were born.”

“I wouldn’t know-”

“What do you mean you wouldn’t know?” Ethan looked me up and down, his eyes slicing me open.

“I haven’t seen him since I was four years old.”

I caught Talon in my peripheral vision, shifting in his seat as he looked over at Ethan with a furrowed

brow.

“I didn’t know either of my parents. I have no memories of my mother. And my father, or the man I

thought was my father anyway, well, he straight up left me in Avondale and didn’t come back. I grew up

with a group of orphans. You’ve likely heard of Keaton, the captain of the Persephone? He was one of

them.”

Everyone was staring at me. Ernest and Rowan exchanged glances, then Ernest gave me a nod of

encouragement.

“I didn’t know Romero even existed let alone was my relative until last winter, when Damian told me he

needed me to go to Valoria.

He said Romero was my grandfather, and I… I wanted to know him. I wanted to at least look at him. I

didn’t know what I was walking into. Damian must have known about your plans for Maeve. I was in

Valoria for several weeks before I was ever introduced to her.

And—”

| straightened up to my full height, clenching my hands into fists behind my back, “the moment I saw her,

I knew she was my mate. I just knew. I wasn’t able to carry out my mission from that moment forward.”

“Yet you bedded her and got her pregnant?” Ethan said bluntly, folding his hands on the table. “You

fulfilled the duties of breeder

“I loved her. I did everything I could to protect her from Damian, and Horace, and Romero. I had to keep

her in the dark until the last possible moment. Maeve is… incapable of being secretive. She can’t lie

without it showing on her face. You know this.”

I spoke firmly, fixing my gaze on Ethan’s eyes despite the nagging fear ripping through my body. It was

some way to get to know my future wife’s dad, with an audience, no less.

Rowan snorted with laughter, then quickly quieted.

“I couldn’t let them have her, Alpha. I did what I could.”

Ethan exhaled, looking over at Talon briefly, before asking me, “What do you want, exactly?”

“What do I want?” I repeated, unsure what kind of answer he was expecting. “Uh, your daughter, of

course?”

“Because of her powers, in her blood-”

| “No-” I gave Ethan a stern look, watching him closely.

I wondered if Maeve had told her parents about the fact that her blood was incapable of healing my

wounds.

“Is this some vendetta against us for what happened to your mother?” Ethan said with conviction, his

voice an octave lower than it had been previously.

I went still, shaking my head in confusion. “I don’t know what happened to her.”

The room was silent, the only sound was the ticking of a clock on the far side wall. Ethan’s face went

through a transformation, his expression darkening as he considered my words. Then, he looked oddly…

sad. Guilty.

“Sit down, Troy.”

“I don’t need to-”

“Sit.”

My body disobeyed my mind, and I found myself seated in front of Ethan.

The Alpha motioned, and Talon left with Rowan and Ernest, leaving me alone with Maeve’s father. He

stared at me, taking me in.

But his eyes weren’t cold any longer. His gaze was soft and full of pity.

“I don’t need to know what happened to her,” I said quickly, before I changed my mind.

“It’s important you know about her, Troy. Her heritage makes you who you are… which is an Alpha. It’s

something we need to

discuss.”

I wondered how long this was going to take. I’d left the house before Maeve had woken up, and now it

was midday. I was sure she’d know that I was with her dad, but still. I didn’t like being this far away from

her with the state she was currently in.

“I can tell you why you didn’t know your mother, Troy. I was under the impression you had been adopted

out to a family we had chosen in Finaldi, away from the Isles. I had wiped my hands clean of the situation

by the time you were born. Your mother… Maddalyn, she was executed shortly after your birth.”

“That’s what I had always been told, but I didn’t know for sure.”

Ethan cleared his throat, tapping one of his fingers on the table. “We had a treaty with Damian back then.

The Isles, like the east, were in shambles. I gave Damian the money he needed to reconstruct Avondale,

in exchange for Poldesse dissolving. I didn’t know Poldesse was operating in secret, and that Damian

was working with Romero while Romero was serving his sentence.”

He continued. “Before Rosalie and I returned to Winter Forest, we arranged for a family known by Vicky,

Talon’s sister, to take you. Vicky and her mate, Paul, moved to Breles, though, so we never got

confirmation you had actually been given over to the couple. We sent you with some of Damian’s people,

so we trusted since we’d heard nothing, that the couple had raised you.”

I didn’t dare breathe. I didn’t know if I wanted him to continue.

“You said you knew your father?”

“Yes, I think so, but I…. I was very young. My memories are fuzzy. I remember him always being ill. We

lived in seclusion, I remember that much.”

“And you’re sure his name was Behar?”

“I… I called him Dad,” I said painfully, looking down at the table. “Damian told me his name.”

“I don’t know if that was actually Behar, Troy. We were under the impression that Behar was dead;

Maddalyn told us as much.”

I looked up, shrugging. I’d already heard that. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, Alpha. I don’t have the

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information you’re looking for. I’m not here to avenge my parents.”

“Just call me Ethan,” he breathed, reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose as though he had a

headache. “I can’t apologize for what happened with your mother, but I am sorry you weren’t better taken

care of.”

“Why would you have anything to be sorry for,”

“I should’ve done a better job of making sure you were safe, even though your mother’s crimes were the

true reason for all of this. None of us could’ve anticipated how this would’ve affected you.”

I shook my head. “What’s done is done now.”

He continued with his version of the story. “Before your mother became a rogue, I said I was going to

marry her. Then I got her to the altar and had her banished instead for her treatment of Rosalie, for

plotting to kill her, and for her aiding in her father’s schemes to take over Valoria with our union. She

waged war on us for years.”

“What was she like?” I asked abruptly, trying to hide the longing in my voice.

He caught it nonetheless. “She was mean,” he said with a matter

of-fact tone. “So, so mean. I can’t really explain it. We were never allies. I could never trust her. But she

was beautiful. You look like her. Had I seen you before any of this,” he waved his hand, alluding to the

current situation, “I would have known you were her son. I am sorry, Troy, for failing you. You should

have been raised by a family, not left to fend for yourself.”

“Does this mean I have your blessing to marry your daughter?” | asked, and the question caught him off

guard.

He arched his brow, giving me a quizzical glance. “Did you hear anything I just said?”

“Uh, yeah. And that’s all fine. I only care about Maeve.”

“Enough to be the Alpha of Poldesse?”

| pursed my lips. I knew this was coming. I took a deep breath, crossing my arms over my chest as I

looked at him, shaking my head. “I’m not who you want there. I might be an ally, but I’m not a royal.

Maybe by blood, okay? But I grew up parentless. I lack a formal education. I was a thief, a pirate. And

Maeve would have to come with me, unless you’re planning on separating us.”

“I’m not.”

“Then how is she supposed to be the White Queen? We’d be separated nonetheless.”

“Rosalie and I make it work,”

“You’re on the same continent. Mirage is only a few hours away by plane. Plus, you have a son and a

nephew to rule while you stay here with your mate.” I leaned over the table, knowing what I said next

was a risk. “Queen Rosalie is sick, Ethan. Maeve needs to prepare to become the White Queen, now.

Not later. We don’t have

that luxury.”

Ethan was expressionless. He just stared at me, his eyes on mine, but he was looking right through me.

“Why do you want me to take over Poldesse? Why not just let it dissolve? It was a small pack to begin

with. Most people didn’t follow Damian.”

“Because someone else will take over if you don’t.”

“So? Who has a vendetta against you right now? Tasia just wants to kill us all and get the moonstone.

That’s a totally different situation.”

Ethan blinked, startled by my words. “You really just say whatever comes to your mind, don’t you?”

“It’s how I won over your daughter,” I smirked, leaning back in my chair.

Ethan wasn’t so bad. He just looked like a big, tough guy. I had been around those all my life. But Ethan

was sharp as a tack as well, and I already knew why he wanted me to take over Poldesse. I didn’t need

an explanation. He wanted someone he could trust there, someone like his daughter’s husband. He also

wanted Maeve to marry someone of a high rank.

What’s higher than an Alpha?

“Was that before or after you kidnapped her?” Ethan retorted, and to my surprise, he gave me a fleeting

smile.

My response was cut short by the door to the library swinging open and a breathless Rowan stepping

inside.

“Dad, you’ve gotta come outside, now. There are people from

Lycenna in the village seeking refuge. Alpha Julien is dead.”

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Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

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