Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder

97: A Family Matter

“And they really didn’t talk about Tasia at all?” Myla moved about the room, glancing at her reflection in

the mirror as she examined her hair. It had been styled in long, thin braids that touched her waist and

had been woven with strips. of turquoise silk. They had been fashioned in an intricate up do, and the

bun of braids on the top of her head had been decorated with tiny jewels shaped like seashells. She

looked absolutely exquisite, and I was very much looking forward to whatever dress she was wearing

tonight.

I had forced Mom and Dad to include Myla, Cleo, and Ali son, who I was just getting to know, in our

dress order for the gala being held at the castle to celebrate not only Rowan’s coronation but mine and

Troy’s. It was a huge ask, but I had gotten my way, and now all of the women in my circle would be

decked out in brand-new gowns and shoes for the event.

Keaton, however, had refused to let Ethan pay for Myla’s gown. He had purchased something for her

himself, and its design was a secret. Keaton had agreed to come to the gala, mostly at Myla’s urging.

“Not a single word was spoken about it, according to Rowan and Troy,” Gemma said as a maid

unwound her hair from several huge hot rollers.

I was only slightly worried about talking about Tasia in front of the maids, who were known to gossip.

But to them, our conversation likely sounded like nothing more than a

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shared annoyance over a random woman, not an evil Dream Dancing sorceress who had just killed her

entire pack.

“How odd,” I murmured, catching my own reflection in the mirror. I wasn’t totally happy with what I saw.

I felt puffy, and no amount of concealer was going to cover the dark circles beneath my eyes.

“I’m sure the Alphas of the east are aware; how could they not be?” Myla peered down at her fresh

manicure with inter

est.

“Dad is likely being picky with who he tells. I’m sure he still believes this is a family matter. Plus, Tasia

hasn’t done any thing for weeks, not since what happened to Mom and Hanna in the temple. No one

has seen or heard from her.” I rose from the vanity, waiting my turn to have the rollers taken from my

hair. I looked at the dresses that were hanging from the canopy of my four-poster bed in clear garment

bags.

I touched the bag that held the elaborate garment I was meant to wear. It was a soft baby blue gown

with long sleeves made of sheer blue fabric, and the entire dress had tiny, embroidered silver and

turquoise stars with pearls in their centers, making them look like little flowers.

It was a beautiful dress, styled in the official colors of the pack of Poldesse-blue, turquoise, and silver.

Tonight, I would be crowned Luna of Poldesse.

And I felt nothing but anxiety about the fact that nearly every Alpha and Beta of the pack lands would

be in atten dance.

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“What if Tasia strikes tonight, at the gala?” I whispered,

turning away from the dress.

Myla looked at me, her brow furrowed. “Oh, Maeve. Don’t think like that.”

J

“I doubt she would, Maeve. If she plans on taking over the pack lands, she’d have no one to rule if she

killed all the Al phas.” Gemma was right about that.

I sighed deeply, tucking my hands in the pockets of my robe as I sat down in front of the vanity again,

letting the maid take the rollers out of my hair..

Ingra brought the triplets into the room roughly an hour later with the help of another maid, who was

carrying a very fussy George on her hip. I fed each triplet, my breasts feeling raw from the amount of

breastfeeding and pumping I had been doing the entire day to make sure each baby would have

enough milk for bottles while I was at the gala.

George wouldn’t take a bottle, but Will, Charlie, and Oliver seemed happy to just be getting fed, and

Ingra had assured us all that the boys would be alright during our absence.

Gemma handed George back to Ingra’s assistant, a young maid with an ample chest that George

seemed to find quite comfortable as he nuzzled against her, closing his eyes. Gem ma then crossed

the room and grabbed her dress, holding the garment bag over her arm as she bent down to kiss me

on the top of the head.

“Don’t fret, Maeve. Everything is going to be okay. This is one of the biggest nights of your life, you

know. Try to enjoy yourself.”

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“I will,” I said soberly, not sure if I believed it.

One by one, everyone left the room, and I kissed each of my sons goodnight as Ingra took her leave

with them. I turned to the garment bag that held the dress, reaching up to unzip it so I could run my

fingers over the glistening fabric.

It would be only an hour or so now before the gala began.

Troy entered the room without knocking, closing the door behind him. I was instantly more at ease the

second I saw him, and felt the knot in the pit of my stomach loosen as he stepped forward.

I was in shock. Troy looked like a totally different person.

His hair was swept back from his face and brushed behind his ears. He was clean-shaven, of course,

and his skin was still sun-kissed from our time spent on the Persephone. He was wearing a black

tuxedo that fit him like a glove, the contrast between his black suit and crisp white shirt setting off the

col ors of his eyes.

He was wearing a sash the same color as my dress, and it was emblazoned with the official emblems

of Poldesse that showcased Poldesse’s flag. Below the emblem of the flag was a crest. It was covered

in jewels, and at its center was a wax ing gibbous moon. Etched into the crest were some words written

in a language I couldn’t read. I peered at it, tilting my head as I tried to decipher the strange symbols.

He touched the crest with his fingertips, shrugging.

“It means ‘Strong the Current.’ That’s the pack motto. Lynus said it hasn’t been worn since… well, since

before Romero’s time.”

“It’s beautiful,” I whispered, then I realized I had no idea what the motto for Drogomor or Winter Forest

was. I’d likely

find out tonight, especially since everyone was expected to be dressed in their finest outfits and jewels.

“Why aren’t you dressed yet?” he asked, walking over to me to kiss me lightly on the lips.

I reared away from him, my hands on his chest. “I don’t want to get lipstick on you-”

“I don’t care,” he growled, kissing me so deeply my knees went weak, and any anxiety I had been

feeling was suddenly replaced by deep, primal longing.

I pulled away from the kiss, reaching down to the vanity to grab a tissue so I could wipe the soft berry-

colored lipstick from his mouth.

“This color looks rather nice on you,” I said softly, teasing

him.

“Thanks,” he smacked his lips, then pulled me into an em brace, careful not to mess up my hair and

makeup. “I wish we could just… stay here for a moment, with each other.”

“We could skip the gala,” I replied, half teasing.

He shook his head, pulling away to face me. “You’re be coming a Luna tonight. I wouldn’t want to miss

that for the world.”

Troy and I walked down the first flight of stairs, at first hand in hand, but it became obvious that the

sheer weight of my dress and the amount of flowing fabric was going to make the journey to the

ballroom difficult without using the railing

for support.

The entire family was waiting at the bottom of the stairs in the foyer, dressed to the nines. Jewelry

gleamed in the light of the foyer’s grand crystal chandelier, and everyone turned to look at us as we

descended the stairs, their hair fixed, wear ing immaculate gowns and tuxedos.

Gemma had on a fuchsia-colored gown that hugged her curves in a way I hadn’t thought possible. The

fact that she had an almost four-month-old baby seemed unimaginable as she stepped forward to take

my hand.

Gemma always cleaned up well, and I wasn’t surprised when I caught Ernest trying his hardest not to

stare at his mate’s ass while we arranged ourselves for a group photo.

Hanna was standing next to Rowan, dressed in a floor length amber-colored gown that looked like a

flame. It was an incredible color on her, and the amber hues reflected in her eyes, which turned her

normally cinnamon colored irises flaked with green on fire. Her hair was loose down her back, pinned

away from her face, and she seemed comfortable with her hand tucked into the crook of Rowan’s

elbow.

Sixteen-year-old Caroline, Vicky and Paul’s daughter, was in attendance tonight, dressed in a pale pink

ball gown. She looked slightly embarrassed as Paul and Vicky fussed over her, but I was willing to bet

the color in her cheeks was more from excitement than anything.

Mom was the one who stole the show, however. Her gown was a ballgown of similar style to mine, with

long sleeves and a full skirt. But her gown was a glittering, muted silver in color with a high neckline.

Her white hair was loose, curled tightly to

look very full, and on her head, she wore a white-gold tiara littered with sapphires.

She looked like the Moon Goddess herself, and I couldn’t help but stare.

I glanced at Rowan between the pictures, watching him lean to whisper into Hanna’s ear. He was

wearing a sash much like Troy’s, but a deep amber in color. A crest and flag were fixed to his sash as

well.

I was becoming a Luna, and Rowan an Alpha. It felt like everything that had happened to us over the

past year had led us to this moment.

But I was still having a hard time ignoring the elephant in the room-Tasia’s threat.

I knew I needed to get Dad alone before the Alphas start ed arriving. I wouldn’t have a chance to talk to

him in private when the gala began. Once the family photoshoot ended, I beelined for him before Troy

even noticed I had left his side, and forcibly pulled Dad into the corner of the foyer.

“We need to talk,” I said, a little breathless. The dress I was wearing was incredibly flattering on my

new curves, but wasn’ t the easiest to move around it.

“I have to start greeting our-”

“When are we going to do something about Tasia? Why this gala? Why the conference if not to warn

the other packs. about her?”

Dad leaned in, whispering sternly in my ear.

“No one can know about the moonstones. No one. Do you understand?”

His tone made me go rigid, and I found myself nodding.

“I already talked to Troy, Rowan, and Ernest about it. This is a family matter.”

“I knew you were going to say that,” I bit out, the words barely audible.

He narrowed his eyes. “Because it’s true. The other Alphas need to be ignorant of the stones. They

belong to your moth er, Maeve, as the White Queen. I know many an Alpha more ambitious, and more

dangerous, than Damian who would be persuaded to take the stones if they knew about their exis

tence. We can’t talk about Tasia without talking about the stones. Drop it, for now. We can discuss this

later, as a family.”

I swallowed, nodding, trying to stifle the angry blush ris ing to my face.

“You look beautiful,” Dad said, trying to bring some warmth into his tone.

I just glared at him.

I sauntered back over to Troy, who was in deep conversa tion with Talon and Georgia. His face

lightened as he looked at me, giving me a soft smile.

“You look like you could use a drink. I can go get some champagne for us while we wait to greet

everyone.”

“That sounds nice,” I breathed, closing my eyes for a mo ment before the gala began.

Troy