Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder
Chapter 1138 - 49 : The Romance of Sea Life

Chapter 1138: Chapter 49 : The Romance of Sea Life

*Daphne*

I met the man right on the border of our grounds, my eyes moving back and forth with heavy paranoia. It wasn’t unlike me to go out for a walk around the grounds. While these days, my parents preferred I didn’t wander unaccompanied, I could normally slip out undetected as long as I left just a couple of hours before dawn.

A dark figure stepped out of the shadows. We both met at the gate and I wordlessly slipped some money through one of the gaps. He nodded politely to me, reached into the pouch on his belt, and produced a small, folded-up piece of paper. I took it eagerly, thanking the man, who nodded again before disappearing back into the early morning shadows.

I pocketed the note and rushed back across the grounds and into the palace, taking the stairs two at a time back up to my room, my heart racing madly. With shaking hands, I unfolded the note and read the report.

My eyes moved rapidly as they processed the words on the small page.

Rion had fled the kingdom on a ship. He was reported to have been with a small woman with gray eyes and wavy dark hair.

This didn’t shock me, but I felt extremely uneasy knowing now that Rion had run off with Eva.

My hands flew to my stomach, a new habit I’d developed when especially stressed or upset. Who knew where they were even headed at this point? How would I find Rion now?

Before I even realized what I was doing, I was rushing around my room and packing a small bag with food and other essentials. I shouldered the sack, tightening my hands around the strap, my resolve hardening as I thought about the possibility of my child never meeting their father, and Rion not even knowing he had a child.

I pulled a cloak up around my shoulders and lifted the hood before hurrying down to the dock, the cool air leading me onward toward the sea.

The sun was just barely starting to peek up over the horizon as I got to the dock. There were quite a few rough-looking guys getting ready to set sail. I looked around, unsure what to do now that I was here. They didn’t exactly look approachable with their bulging muscles and sneers. A couple of them eyed me curiously, but they ignored me for the most part.

I watched the people walk up and down the dock, carrying supplies, hoping that a sign would just magically descend from above.

“You’d best run off, miss.”

I whirled toward the hard voice and came face to face with a tall, gruff-looking man with a square jaw and dark eyes. His dark hair was cropped short, revealing a piercing at the top of one ear.

I squared my shoulders. “I can’t do that. I’m on an important mission.”

The man looked skeptical, looking me up and down and probably noting my fancy-looking shoes that weren’t exactly optimal for this kind of travel. “Go home, miss. It isn’t safe out here for a woman like you.”

He turned to go, but I reached out and grabbed the sleeve of his dark brown coat out of desperation. He whirled on me with an almost violent look and I put my hands up. “I need some help catch up with a ship. Of course, I’ll be able to pay handsomely.” I opened my bag ever-so-slightly so that the money I had tucked away there was visible for just a second.

The man’s eyebrows rose in surprise, then suspicion. “Why would a tiny woman like you be trying to catch up with a ship?”

I hesitated, unsure how to answer that. I had to be careful not to reveal my true identity to him. I lifted my chin. “As long as I am able to pay, I hardly think that that question holds much significance.”

The guy blinked and then laughed loudly, his dark eyes actually lighting up a bit. He looked a lot younger then, and I realized that he probably wasn’t that much older than me. He grinned at me.

“Alright, I like a girl with some spirit,” he said, shooting a hand out. “You’ve got yourself a pirate captain, miss. The name’s Kyle.”

I blinked, surprised by how quickly things had happened, and took the man’s hand. “Excited to be working with you, Captain Kyle.” I blushed, wondering if that was the correct response.

He just laughed again, so I figured it wasn’t quite right. I paused for a moment, deciding that I shouldn’t give him my real name. “My name is Dahlia.”

I gave Kyle as much information as I could, including what Rion’s ship was reported to look like and how long ago it took off. He had me wait on his ship while he asked around and came back a couple of hours later with a lead.

He had a tiny crew, but they all seemed experienced and capable, albeit a bit rough around the edges. They were excited to be pursuing a ship. They seemed to get an intense high from danger.

At that moment, I wished that I shared that sentiment.

I had never been on a boat before and I couldn’t contain my almost childish excitement as I leaned against the side of it, gripping the railing and leaning out slightly so I could see as much of the shimmering water as possible.

The romance of sea life quickly dissipated as hours stretched into days as we chased after Rion’s ship. Kyle’s crew kept their distance from me as if they could sense that I was far from belonging there. I spent the days writing in a little journal that I thankfully had thought to pack.

I started writing letters to my unborn child, explaining the situation to them and reassuring them that I would find their father, no matter what. I wrote about how much I already loved them, despite the fact that we had not met yet.

I wrote about their father, telling them how brave and kind Rion was, despite the strange circumstances in which we met.

It was a nice way to pass the time. It kept me sane in a lot of ways, to be able to put my thoughts down during the long hours spent on the ship.

I was doing just that when one late afternoon, I heard the call that the ship was in view. The crew readied themselves to apprehend Rion, holding rope and weapons.

“He is not to be harmed!” I called out over the small group.

They waved me off, but Kyle reinforced my order, probably fearing that he would be paid less if Rion was hurt.

I watched them jump onto the ship before heading toward the other side of the boat, my anxiety rising. Would Rion be happy to see me? We hadn’t seen each other in months. My hands flew down to my stomach and I stroked our baby through the thin dress I was wearing.

I was thankful that I still wasn’t so obviously pregnant. As long as I wore loose clothing, my small, but firm bump wasn’t noticeable at all.

I straightened when I heard the commotion of the crew returning to our ship. I spotted Rion right away, glaring at the rough-looking pirate who was holding onto the ropes that bound his arms behind him.

I felt my face grow hot. Despite the circumstances, I couldn’t help but think he was just as handsome as he always had been. His dark hair was slightly longer, giving him a rougher look that made my legs a little shaky. His gray eyes were intense, and they widened when they landed on me.

Rion was roughly shoved in front of me. I focused on him for a moment before I noticed another person that they had dragged over as well. It wasn’t Eva. It was an attractive red-haired woman with bright green eyes.

Kyle saw my look and explained. “This woman was fighting us aggressively, so we apprehended her as well.”

I nodded, focusing back on Rion, whose gray eyes were narrowed at me. “What are you doing here?” he asked darkly. “What the hell is going on?”

My face grew hot for a different reason. Of course, he wouldn’t have been happy about being tied up, but I couldn’t think of another way to do this considering Eva was nearby. There was no way she would let him see me. I felt the eyes on us and swallowed. “I have something important to tell you.”

I couldn’t help but glance at the pretty redhead, wondering what their relationship was.

Rion’s eyes were cold and he looked away from me. “Well, I have nothing to say to you,” he said. “Go home, Daphne.”

Kyle looked sharply at me all of a sudden. “Daphne?” he gasped. “You can’t mean Princess Daphne, youngest daughter of the Alpha King and the White Queen?”

I winced. My identity had been revealed.

Rion turned to glare at him. “That is correct,” he said in a hard voice. “So, I suggest you bring her back safely to the kingdom or there will be hell to pay. And untie us while you’re at it.”

“Yes, untie him please,” I said, not liking the hostility in Rion’s eyes. It made my chest twist painfully.

“Untie them and prepare for departure now!” Kyle barked, panic clear in his eyes. “We need to get the princess back safely before they send the Royal Guard warriors out looking for her!”

I watched helplessly as Rion and the redhead were untied. Rion immediately turned to head back to their own ship, but I reached out and grabbed his arm. “Rion, please. I need to speak with you.”

Rion whirled on me, his eyes dark and angry. “Daphne, you need to go home,” he said sharply. “I’m finished with you. I don’t know what the hell this was about, but it stops now. Get out of here.”

I recoiled as if he had slapped me. Rion’s gray eyes widened for a brief moment before he gritted his teeth and he and the redhead stalked off. The woman gave me a hateful, but curious glance as she left with Rion.

I stood frozen as the crew dashed around me in a panic, preparing the ship to return back to the kingdom. I let my head fall, my eyes trained on the wooden boards beneath my feet but not really seeing the patterns in the wood. My hand slowly rose to my tiny bump. I stroked it soothingly.

“It’s okay, we’re fine,” I murmured, more to me than to them.

“Princess.”

I turned to face Kyle, who looked almost hesitant to even be speaking to me. “We’re about to depart. Maybe you should go below deck. It’s safer down there.”

I nodded, understanding completely that Kyle was paranoid about someone seeing me and thinking that Kyle and his crew had kidnapped me. They had brought me to Rion, so I really didn’t want them to get in trouble. I would cooperate.

Kyle escorted me to the small room that I had been staying in. I was surprised that there were new blankets on the cot, as well as some snacks on the small side table.

“If I may ask, Princess,” Kyle began. “Why were you looking for that guy?”

“I had some urgent news to deliver to him,” I said.

“It wouldn’t have anything to do with the Dark Witch’s daughter, would it?” he asked.

I looked at him curiously. “No, but why would you ask that?” I spoke carefully. I didn’t want them to learn about Eva. That could lead them back to Rion and I now knew they were capable of apprehending him.

Kyle shrugged, bowing slightly. “My apologies, Princess. I meant no disrespect. There is a substantial royal reward offered in exchange for the Dark Witch’s daughter, so I guess I was hoping you had some information.”

My eyes widened, but I said nothing.

Kyle excused himself politely before leaving me alone with an increasing sinking feeling growing in my stomach.