Sold AS The alpha King's Breeder

Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder Chapter 836

Chapter 47: It's Over

Eliza

I knew Jared was behind me. I could feel him closing in on me as I entered his bedroom and walked to the bathroom. My hands were covered in Archer's blood. They shook as I washed them in the sink, crimson streaks swirling down the drain. The doorway creaked with Jared's weight as he leaned against it.

"I knew what I was doing. He'll heal," I said, my voice quivering as I soaped up my hands.

"Why did you tell us you didn't fight in the war in your realm?"

"Because I didn't." A chill ran down my spine as I glanced at him through the mirror then dropped my gaze back to my hands.

"How did you know how to stitch—"

"There weren't enough nurses in Mirage to tend to the wounded who were sent there from Breles. Practically every abled-body person of age was called to fight. I worked as a medic. I learned a few things. Doing the mending here... honed my craft." I dried my hands on a towel and turned to face him. "What happened to him?"

"I don't know," Jared replied, his tone thick with frustration. "He should have been halfway to the capital right now. I'll find out once he's had some rest."

"Then the village isn't in danger?"

"I have guards posted around the perimeter of the village. Scouts have been sent out after the wolves who left him just outside my territory. I'll know more in the morning, I'm sure."

His words echoed through the room as I absently reached for a hairbrush. A silence settled between us, but I found myself deafened by everything left unsaid.

"I'm sorry that Archer was hurt. I know... I know how much he means to you, and to Brandt."

He said nothing in response, but I could feel his gaze on my neck as I reached up to undo the ribbon holding back my hair. I ran the brush through my curls if only to do something other than sit in suffocating silence with him.

"I let Carmen go, Eliza. She's gone. I overheard what she talked to you about and I need to say—"

"It's fine," I interrupted, though my throat tightened painfully around the words.

"She wasn't totally wrong in anything she said to you, but I need to explain some things."

I looked over at him, a ripple of shock prickling over my skin. He took a step into the bathroom, his eyes focusing on mine with an intensity that made me want to take a step away from him.

"Carmen wasn't my mate, but she wanted to be. Before I came into my powers, that was what I wanted more than anything—to find my mate, have a family... live a life free of Alphas and raise this village up to its full potential. It was never going to be Carmen, and she knew that. But I wasn't what I am now when I was with her. I didn't have the curse hanging over my head. I've changed over the last three years, maybe for the worst."

He sat on the edge of the tub, stretching his legs out in front of him.Material © NôvelDrama.Org.

"I didn't keep her locked up. She worked in this house. She lived here only because I allowed it, but she was under Miriam's control, not mine. She never shared this room with me. She wasn't allowed in my study because I didn't trust her. She lied to you when she told you she'd had access. That was my only rule for her, and she broke it to steal from me. I felt nothing when she left, and what I felt when I saw her on the platform in Suncrest was fear, and not because she was going to die. It was fear because I knew Aeris was doing this to try to get to you, and I couldn't allow him to win. I made the choice to rise up against my own brother to save my—"

He paused, breathing deeply and closing his eyes for a moment. He shook his head, continuing, "As the years ticked by, I accepted my fate. I found it unlikely I'd ever break the curse and I'd succumb to the full force of my dark powers. I pushed the idea of finding my mate away—"

"The song in the locket," I said softly, cutting him off. "She said you used to play it over and over again after you were given the first piece of the Cryptex. Why?"

"Because I felt the mate bond through it," he said, his eyes focusing on mine once again.

My chest tightened around his answer, my heart beginning to beat rapidly as I slowly set the hairbrush down on the counter.

"The song—"

"Is the same one you played on the piano in Aeris's castle," he confirmed, resting his hands on his knees with a sigh. "The song you said you composed as a child."

"How is that possible?"

He looked up at me through his lashes, his eyes like simmering embers. "I have to take you to the capital. You need to return to your own realm, Eliza."

I inhaled deeply, my entire mind and body physically revolting against the idea of going home.

"Why did I know the song in your mother's locket?" I forcefully repeated.

I knew the answer already. Maybe I'd known for a while but was never willing to admit that it could be the truth.

"I don't know—"

"You do know," I ground out, tears welling in my eyes. "You just won't say it. You're fine playing house with me and taking me to your bed, but you're never honest about what's actually happening. You had nothing to say about Draven coming to me in the Dark Forest... or the witch, or why I felt the powers in the Cryptex when no one else can. What is happening, Jared? Why—"

There was a sharp knock on the door of his bedroom. Jared stood up and left the bathroom in a single long stride. I followed him out, fear prickling over my skin as Miriam's voice cut through the electric tension in the room.

"Archer is lucid. He's refusing to rest until he speaks to you. He's been moved to the old infirmary."

"I'll go to him. Get some rest, please," he told her, his voice softening a bit as Miriam sighed shakily and her footsteps retreated down the hallway.

Jared looked over his shoulder at me. "We'll talk about this later."

"I want to go with you."

"Fine," he said, holding open the door as I stepped past him.

I didn't know where the infirmary was. The maze-like house held rooms I'd never been in before and I'd been living here for weeks. I followed him down the stairs to the second story, then through an archway and down a winding hallway lined with doors shut tight against the slight chill in the air. He didn't knock as he opened an inconspicuous door that led into a large room with several cots lining one wall. Only one of the cots was occupied.

"I'm glad your mending skills transfer over to flesh," Archer said in a pained, gravelly voice as he grunted and pushed himself into a seated position.

"Lay back down," I urged, walking briskly toward him.

"I'm fine, really," he said, his cheek dimpling with a boyish smile. "I can't wait for the scar this will leave behind."

I gave him a genuine smile, my shoulders losing some of the painful tension they'd been carrying all day.

But then he looked up as Jared walked over and his smile faded in an instant.

"Have you signed the marriage certificate yet?" Archer asked.

"No, we haven't."

"You need to, as soon as possible. Aeris has already started spreading the word about you, how you're going to rise up against the King with your... rightful Luna, a Luna from the Dark Realm. Every village I stopped in was talking about it, and I hadn't even made it halfway to the capital before I found out about the Alpha of Alderwood."

I sat on the edge of the bed, glancing between the two men. Jared shifted his weight, tucking his hands in his pockets as he looked down at Archer expectantly.

"You said the Alpha was dead?"

"He is. I was in the village of Leviss, fifty miles east of here. He was killed by bandits on the road. His body was still in the village, and I was able to confirm his identity. Gage wasn't with him."

"Who's Gage?" I asked them.

Archer's expression darkened, his eyes shifting from Jared's to my own.

"Scarlett's son... the reason I was going to the capital, trying to intercept them. When I found out the Alpha was murdered, I thought the boy had been as well–" he took a shuddering breath, wincing at the pain of his stitches. "He was taken, probably to be held for ransom."

"Who were the bandits?"

"Abel's men," Archer answered without hesitation, his eyes focusing on Jared with an intensity that made me flush with apprehension.

"Who's Abel?"

"Someone we used to know," Jared replied flatly, sitting down on the cot across from Archer's. "You're sure?"

"Yes. I'm going there tomorrow–"

"Not in your condition. Abel won't harm the boy–"

"Where does Abel live?" I asked, but they ignored me.

"Scarlett doesn't know," Archer said, shaking his head. "I need to tell her."

"No," Jared said firmly. "Not until–"

"What do you mean, no?" I snarled, glaring at Jared. "This is her son we're talking about!"

Jared slowly met my gaze, his eyes narrowed as he clenched his jaw.

"Stay out of it, Eliza. Abel is a dangerous–"

"Oh my Goddess! Literally everyone in this realm is dangerous according to you, Jared. Tell her–" I turned to Archer, pointing my finger at him. "You tell her, and then figure out how to get that kid back to his mother."

"This doesn't concern you, Eliza," Jared said through gritted teeth.

I ignored him. We could fight about this later.

"If you don't tell her, I will," I said to Archer.

He nodded, looking slightly relieved.

"I will."

I rose from the cot and gave Jared a dirty look before leaving them to talk amongst themselves. I had it in mind to go all the way to the attic where Scarlett was probably rolling around in bed, wondering what the hell had happened. I was just as curious about how Archer had ended up severely wounded just outside of the village, but that could wait.

I changed into pajamas after arriving back in Jared's bedroom. I knew he would be close behind, especially after seeing the exhaustion and pain etched into Archer's face every time he took a breath.

But I was curled in bed by the time Jared arrived, the room illuminated by a single candle. He closed the door behind him, turning to me as I sat up against the pillows.

"What–"

"Brandt will escort you to the capital in two days' time," he said firmly.

I sat up a little straighter. "No–"

"It's not up for debate. You need to go home now."

"I can't–"

"You will." He was cold as ice as he moved toward the bed. "It's not safe here with Aeris making good on his plans to overthrow the King. I can't involve you in this, Eliza. I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?" I scoffed, turning to face him. "What the hell does that mean? You're sorry–"

"You're my mate!" The force of his words boomed through the room, cutting through me like a heated blade. It wasn't said with love or longing. It was said with deep regret. "I shouldn't have been able to find you, Eliza. This is a cruel, sick game of the universe–"

"If what you're saying is true," I said, trying in vain to keep my voice from cracking, "then this fate–"

"Fate," he coldly laughed. "Ah, sure. Fate. Is it truly fate that I found you when I only have months to live, when nothing about my life is stable and the country is on the brink of war? Or is fate that I'm losing control of my powers with each passing day, and I could kill you in an instant if I so much as loosen the death grip I have on them? You're in danger just being in a room with me."

"You act as though you've given up on breaking this curse!"

"Because I have!" He curled his fingers around the footboard, leaning forward. "It's over. You need to go home."